MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Ministry of Education and Science has drafted a bill allowing persons affected by HIV and hepatitis C to adopt children living with them. The document’s version has been published on the official website of legal information.

Amendments are proposed to the Family Code of Russia.

Under current legislation, individuals suffering from certain diseases are prohibited from adopting children. The list of diseases is set by the government.

The draft law would authorize courts to derogate from this provision of the Family Code in cases when children are living with a HIV positive person or a person suffering from virus of hepatitis C due to already formed family relations.

The Education Ministry has drafted the bill to execute the Constitutional Court’s judgement of June 20, 2018, declaring the provision contrary to the Constitution.