Colorado families impacted by Russian adoption ban

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the ban official Friday morning, signing the bill that prevents American families from adopting Russian orphans.

"All of the things they've gone through now are for nothing," Sandra Whitton said.

Her life's work is helping people adopt children, so when Sandra Whitton heard about Russia’s new ban she was horrified for all the Colorado families she knows that had almost completed the process.

"They’re devastated and so am I," she explained.

Whitton says the loss is huge and that emotionally people will not get over it.

She wonders how you tell those children, who for months thought they'd be adopted, it’s not going to happen.

Whitton says, "They already established a relationship with the children and the children are waiting for them to come pick them up."

The process of adopting from Russia is intense. Parents have to make more than one trip to the country before they can bring a child home...

"Not only are they loosing they're children, but the impact of the money they've lost is huge," Whitton said.  

While some may argue people should adopt American children, Whitton says this new ban deprives many Russian orphans of an opportunity to be part of a family.

"The impact will be dreadful."