Maryland families react to Russian law banning American families from adopting

CLARKSVILLE, Md. -  

You may have heard of Tatyana McFadden.

Confined to a wheel chair because of Spina Bifida, she won 3 gold medals and a bronze in this past summer's Paralympic games in London.

Inspiring goals she would have never reached if not adopted from a Russian orphanage at age six by her mother Deborah.

"She did not have a wheel chair because there were not funds for a wheel chair.  She crawled on the floor, her feet had atrophied behind her, she was very anemic and was not expected to live long," said her mother Deborah McFadden.

But being part of the Clarksville, Maryland family, she grew into a champion both physically and socially.

The family has recent pictures of Tatyana at the Russian orphanage where she was adopted from serving as an inspiration for the children and staff there.

Also pictured is Tatyana trying to deliver a petition to the Russian embassy in DC just this past Wednesday begging President Vladimir Putin not to sign the law he did today which in effect destroys a similar opportunity other Russian Orphans would have with an American family.

"President Putin just nailed the final nail in the coffin.  Shame on him.  Shame on him for saying here's an ultimatum, I'm angry at the US for something else, let's use the children as pawns," said Deborah.

McFadden should know, not only did she adopt one of her daughters from Russia, she studied in Moscow, ran her own adoption agency for 20 years and her nieces and nephews were adopted from Russia too.

Carter and Jack McFadden are fraternal twins who were premature and if survived, would have been separated.

At age 16, both now Americanized but have a unique understanding of this new law in their native Russia.

"It makes me very upset because I don't know where I'd be if I weren't adopted and those kids now in the orphanages, I feel like they won't have many more chances at a life that they can love," said Carter.

A life they love or a family they can be a part of.

It is estimated that there are 750 thousand orphans in Russia, three quarters of a million kids who Deborah Mcfadden says may now never know a life fulfilled.

"I'm devastated for not just the families, but for the children.  They will grow up in an orphanage and will not know the love of a family."

Currently there are 46 Russian children that have already been approved to be adopted by American families. 

Deborah and some other organizations here in the states are asking the US State Department to put pressure on or even to just beg Russia to at least let those 46 children come to America, but with President Putin signing the law this morning there is not much hope for that or any other future children to be adopted by American families.