--- a/bin/emerge	
+++ a/bin/emerge	
@@ -2890,7 +2890,25 @@ class MergeTask(object):
 			self.pkgsettings["/"] = \
 				portage.config(clone=trees["/"]["vartree"].settings)
 
+	def _signal_handler(self, signum, frame):
+		self._interrupt_count += 1
+		if self._interrupt_count > 1:
+			signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
+			signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, signal.SIG_IGN)
+			portage.writemsg(
+				"\n\nExiting on signal %(signal)s\n" % {"signal":signum})
+			sys.exit(100+signum)
+		else:
+			portage.writemsg(
+				"\n\nCaught signal: waiting until this ebuild finishes..." + \
+				" Try again to force stop now\n", noiselevel=-1)
+
 	def merge(self, mylist, favorites, mtimedb):
+
+		self._interrupt_count = 0
+		signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, self._signal_handler)
+		signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, self._signal_handler)
+
 		failed_fetches = []
 		mymergelist=[]
 		ldpath_mtimes = mtimedb["ldpath"]
@@ -3302,6 +3320,8 @@ class MergeTask(object):
 			# in the event that portage is not allowed to exit normally
 			# due to power failure, SIGKILL, etc...
 			mtimedb.commit()
+			if self._interrupt_count:
+				break
 
 		if "--pretend" not in self.myopts:
 			emergelog(xterm_titles, " *** Finished. Cleaning up...")
--- a/pym/portage.py	
+++ a/pym/portage.py	
@@ -2246,13 +2246,28 @@ def spawn(mystring, mysettings, debug=0, free=0, droppriv=0, sesandbox=0, **keyw
 
 	while mypids:
 		pid = mypids.pop(0)
-		retval = os.waitpid(pid, 0)[1]
+		while True:
+			try:
+				retval = os.waitpid(pid, 0)[1]
+				break
+			except OSError, e:
+				if e.errno != errno.EINTR:
+					raise
+				del e
 		portage_exec.spawned_pids.remove(pid)
 		if retval != os.EX_OK:
 			for pid in mypids:
 				if os.waitpid(pid, os.WNOHANG) == (0,0):
+					import signal
 					os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
-					os.waitpid(pid, 0)
+					while True:
+						try:
+							os.waitpid(pid, 0)
+							break
+						except OSError, e:
+							if e.errno != errno.EINTR:
+								raise
+							del e
 				portage_exec.spawned_pids.remove(pid)
 			if retval & 0xff:
 				return (retval & 0xff) << 8