May 2011 - Jefferson County Public Schools

International Adoption by Jerry Johnson
About two years ago a little girl from Romania was adopted
and brought to America. Not a big deal right? Well if you ask Karen
(the adopter), she would say differently. Karen left America on a
mission trip eleven years ago and found an unexpected surprise.
When visiting a foster home, a young toddler sat on her lap, looked
into her eyes and said, “mom”. And it was over. After that moment,
she decided to adopt her. At the time, she thought adoption
couldn’t take all that long, a year at the most. But when the
pic
Romanian government refused to let her have the girl because of
many pointless rules, she had to move to Romania, and leave her comfortable life as a nurse. In the process,
she lost her husband. 9 years later, after countless confrontations with the Romanian government, and a lot
of help from loved ones back home, she got to bring her daughter home. “Beti was born in my heart that day.
From that day on, there was no way I could abandon her.” –Karen
What are the Complications?
Romania, and many other countries, have shut down international adoption. Romania also passed a
law where the children were to be reintegrated to their natural families, regardless of their financial and
emotional status. In order for a child to be put up for adoption, the parents must sign a paper to release the
child, which could delay, or completely end the adoption if they can’t find their parents. Another problem is
that a lot of people in these countries don’t have birth certificates and can’t be adopted because of that.
Problems Caused Due to International Adoption Being Closed
Aside from the plain and simple fact that people who want to adopt won’t be able to, the kids who
have to stay in an orphanage will suffer from emotional and physical damage because of a life without a
family, and the state of affairs the countries are in. This could lead them to a life of depression, violence,
and eventually death. Another problem that hits these kids are that once they hit eighteen years old, they
are forced to leave the orphanage and go on their own, leaving them with nowhere to go and no money.
Is It Just Romania?
No. Just about any country that you try to adopt from will have complications. For instance,
recently Russia has decided to close adoption to America. Previously, they were the country with the most
successful adoptions, 14,079, since 2005.
The closing of international adoption has caused damage in so many ways, to children and the
hopeful parents. If this doesn’t change, thousands of children in third world countries will lose their only
chance to leave and have a new life.
Top 10 Most Popular Countries for
International Adoption
Country Number of
Adoptions to the US
1. China 3,001
2. Ethiopia 2,277
3. Russia 1,586
4. South
1,080
Korea
5. Guatemala 756
6. Ukraine 601
7. Vietnam 481
8. Haiti 330
9. India 297
10.
Kazakhstan
295
Recently, Russia halted adoptions by American families
after an incident where a child was put on a trans-Atlantic
flight by his adoptive family after they decided they did not
wish to care for him anymore.
Other countries that have halted adoptions because of
civil unrest or flaws in the adoption process currently
include Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nepal, Guatemala, Swaziland
and Sierra Leone.
In more positive news, Haiti’s adoption authority has
informed the US government that they are now accepting
new adoption applications. Many US families offered to
adopt or provide foster care for Haitian children displaced
by the January 12 earthquake, but authorities worked for
months to match the displaced children with their family
members. Now applications are being accepted once
again, and normal visa processing has resumed.
Resource and more information