Adoption in the News

Last month I posted an article on Russian adoptions. Today I went onto the U.S. Government's International Adoption website (http://adoption.state.gov/) and learned that Russia is now closed to the U.S. and will remain so for at least 1 year. Families currently in process do not yet know if they will be allowed to continue or if their adoptions will be terminated. Here is the official information:

Alert: Legislation to Ban Intercountry Adoption by U.S. Families

On December 28, President Vladimir Putin signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6, which prohibits the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law went into effect on January 1, 2013. The law bans adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens, bars adoption service providers from assisting U.S. citizens to adopt Russian children, and requires termination of the U.S.- Russia Adoption Agreement.

The United States regrets that the Russian government has decided to ban the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and to terminate the Agreement under Article 17(5). The Agreement entered into force on November 1, 2012, to promote stronger safeguards for children and all parties involved in the intercountry adoption process. Under the termination clause of the Agreement, it will remain in force for one year, until January 1, 2014. Despite the adoption ban, the U.S. government remains committed to implementation and fulfillment of its obligations under the Agreement. The United States continues to urge the Russian government, in the spirit of the Agreement, to allow U.S. families already in the process of adopting a child from Russia to complete their adoptions so that these children may join permanent, loving families.

At this time the Russian government has provided no details on how Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6 will be implemented. The Department of State has no information on whether the Russian government intends to permit the completion of any pending adoptions.

Tony and I had to take a day-long class at the agency over the summer and I recall meeting a woman who had been in the process of adopting from Russia for a long time. Prior to the ban, a Russian adoption included three trips to Russia. Two trips for all of your medical evaluations, mental evaluations and various legal/court steps. The third to bring your child home. However, you meet your child on that first visit -- you get to see them and hold them and fall in love with them. 

My heart breaks for the families currently in process who do not know what is going to happen. My heart also breaks for those children, most (if not all) of whom live in an orphanage and have a rather difficult start in life. Please keep them all in your prayers.