29. Painful Lessons from Romania’s Decade-Old Adoption Ban

In, Romania, an American woman called Mary plans to adopt a young girl named Alina. The paperwork was completed with only a signature from the Romanian prime minister to make the adoption official. Yet, it never happened and Mary was unable to take Alina to the United States. Romania suspended international adoptions and banned it altogether four years later. Their reasons were because of corruption in foreigners adopting. Alina is now 16 and a “pipeline kid” or a child “left in limbo” due to banned international adoption. A similar situation now looms over hundreds of orphans in Russia. Americans were no longer allowed to adopt Russian children since January 1. Around 1,000 Russian orphans are now in the pipeline. Russia said that the law was made because of human rights being abused. Trouble began stirring when an American woman sent her adopted son back to Russia in 2010 due to “severe psychopathic issues.” Unfortunately, there have been some other tragic issues as well. Russian officials state that some pipeline cases could be completed but it is unknown if the children will ever go to the U.S. The would be parents face “unresolved grief” and look for closure. Yet, many cannot move on. There are many stories of parents never knowing what happened to the children they wanted to adopt. One such woman called Murrell recounted an even when she met with the Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase. She said, “He did say very positive things and I remember leaving there thinking this is a really positive thing…When you are in the situation you hear what you want to hear. But when I look back at it I think, you know, he just wanted us to shut up.” The bans not only emotionally hurt the would be parents, pipeline children will most likely face problems upon adulthood. A woman called Rita says about her pipeline child, “We were told she was Roma and that she probably would not be adopted…I know that she’s never going to have a family. She’s going to turn 18 and she’s going to be turned out on the street, and I’m not going to let that happen.” Typically, the children will leave at 18 and end up homeless. They turn to crime and prostitution. A teacher in the orphanage where Alina is staying told Mary, “There are always bad people lurking in the shadows… observing, and waiting for their opportunity. Children like [Alina] often become prostitutes.”

Author Meghan Collins Sullivan seems to have a very strong stance on this issue. She uses very strong wording “a signature from Romania’s prime minister was all that stood between Alina’s placement in a stable American home and a childhood in Romania without a family. It never happened.” She also uses tragic and gripping testimonies from people facing this issue. Sullivan gives the reasons why the governments have issued such laws and recounts the stories. Sullivan’s article not only informs readers but through her stories stirs emotion in the reader to an almost call to action. As a side note, Sullivan changed the names of some children and parents.

http://world.time.com/2013/03/15/painful-lessons-from-romanias-decade-old-adoption-ban/#ixzz2Nq8GmWCo