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PostPosted: 12/28/12 8:49 am • # 1 
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On the surface, this appears to be "pay-back", with no thought for the children's welfare ~ some years ago, a partner in our LA office and his wife adopted two brothers [maybe 8 and 5 at the time] from Russia ~ it was enormously expensive and complicated ~ both the partner and his wife told us about the horrid/inhumane conditions in Russian orphanages ~ and what they learned after settling the boys into their new home was that both boys suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, which apparently is very common in Russian orphanages ~ the last I heard [maybe 2 years ago], both boys are now doing well ~ the elder was entering college and the younger was excelling in hs ~ but they've had years of medical intervention and therapy that was not available in Russia ~ emphasis/bolding below is in the original ~ Sooz

Russia Punishes U.S. By Blocking Adoption Of Russian Orphans
By Hayes Brown on Dec 27, 2012 at 4:45 pm

In retaliation for the United States placing sanctions on Russian human rights violators, the Russian parliament has passed a bill banning U.S. citizens from adopting Russian orphans. The action comes after President Obama signed the so-called “Magnitsky Act,” named for a Russian lawyer who died while in prison, into law on Dec. 14.

The Russians are responding with the Dima Yakovlev bill. The measure commemorates a young boy adopted from Russia who later died in the U.S and places travel sanctions on those Americans whom Russia has deemed violate the human rights of Russian citizens. The Russian Duma, or Parliament, voted unanimously in favor of the bill on Wednesday, and President Vladimir Putin is fully prepared to sign it into law. Putin attempted to head off criticism about the effect the ban will have on the already strained Russian system of care for its orphans:

Quote:
In televised comments, Putin tried to appeal to people’s patriotism by suggesting that strong and responsible countries should take care of their own and lent his support to a bill that has further strained U.S.-Russia relations.

“There are probably many places in the world where living standards are higher than ours. So what, are we going to send all our children there? Maybe we should move there ourselves?” he said, with sarcasm.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs Olga Golodets says that putting the ban into effect would not only violate Russian federal law, but also international law and a 2011 agreement that the U.S. and Russia put into place regarding adoption. At present, Americans adopt more orphans from Russian than they do any other country.

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/12/27/1378281/russia-bars-us-adoption-orphans/


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 9:13 am • # 2 
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I read an article the other day (and it may be on the CNN feed, but damn if I can find it!) about a couple who adopted one russian boy. when they went to get him, they discovered that he had a younger brother and started adoption proceedings for him. It hasn't gone through and they fear it may never be approved because of this crap. How stupid to punish children!! :angry


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 9:22 am • # 3 
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If Russia targeted USian human rights violators and violators of international Mr. Obama would be on the list.


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 9:31 am • # 4 
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oskar576 wrote:
If Russia targeted USian human rights violators and violators of international Mr. Obama would be on the list.

And that would be fair, oskar ~ but that doesn't involve making orphaned children pay the price for adult misdeeds ~

Sooz


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 9:33 am • # 5 
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Didn't suggest otherwise.


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 10:07 am • # 6 
There are drug and alcohol addicted babies born at Shore Medical Center. That is not a product of Russia alone.

I am fairly sure the news in Russia is our human rights violations not theirs. It's how it goes. The Dmitri Yakovlev story is horrible. The adoptive father left him in a parked vehicle for nine hours and the boy died of heatstroke. His adoptive father, Miles Harrison, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter.

The authorities called to restrict or end the adoption of Russian children by Americans then in 2009.

It's sad that we play politics with children's lives, but....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/world ... .html?_r=0


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 2:45 pm • # 7 
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I think there needs to be a lot more regulation and transparency on both sides, Russian and American.

Adoption agencies and anyone (such as private agencies and lawyers) involved in adoptions on the American side need to do a better job of investigating and vetting prospective parents; educating them about what types of problems, both physical and mental/emotional the kids may have; do followups, often and regularly for the benefit of both the child and the family and provide access to whatever health services the family needs to help their child adjust.

There also needs to be transparency from the Russian side as to whether the kids have physical, mental and/or emotional needs that the new parents will need to address.

US man suspected of raping adopted Russian daughter

Adopted Russian Boy Rejected By U.S. Mom Adjusts in Foster Care]

Russian Murder Cases of Children Have Been by an Adoptive Parent


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 3:42 pm • # 8 
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Curiosity question....because I really can't figure it out.....but why do Americans seek foreign adoptions when there are so many kids born right here in the USA who need families? Are there certain pros and cons I'm not aware of?

I ask because my stepdad, as a guardian, has a heck of a time finding homes for kids who need them. But he sees families in court finalizing foreign adoptions all the time. ???


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 4:43 pm • # 9 
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Chaos, I think it's because there aren't as many stringent regulations and as much red tape in other countries. Also, I think there are more babies/toddlers available in other countries. In the US, they get adopted quickly since so many potential parents are looking for the younger ones.

jmo


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 6:41 pm • # 10 
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I saw a show on tv about russian adoptions. My understanding (based solely on this show, so maybe i'm very mistaken) was that the people in charge of russian adoptions were going to discontinue adoptions to the states because of the bad press those adoptions had gotten. Children that had been badly abused, with a number of undisclosed medical and emotional issues, including fetal alcohol syndrome, failure to thrive, severe attachment disorders, violent tendencies, etc.

There was at least one high profile case where a child was sent back by parents who felt they had been misled about the condition of the child, and felt uncapable of caring for his extensive needs. I wish i could remember the names, because I'm sure it made the news. While I feel for the parents, I think if you adopt a child and discover after the fact that they have issues, isn't the same as if you had given birth to a child with special needs? Don't you kind of get what you get and don't get upset, as my students would say?

So maybe the children are being used as pawns, but maybe not in the way this article suggests. and maybe by both sides.


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 7:31 pm • # 11 
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where a child was sent back by parents who felt they had been misled about the condition of the child

Wasn't that a single mom, who was a nurse or something.....stuck the kid on a plane back to Russia, alone?


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 7:37 pm • # 12 
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roseanne wrote:
Chaos, I think it's because there aren't as many stringent regulations and as much red tape in other countries. Also, I think there are more babies/toddlers available in other countries. In the US, they get adopted quickly since so many potential parents are looking for the younger ones.

jmo


Interesting. I know here it can take quite some time to legally and officially terminate parental rights in cases of abuse or neglect, so those kids do wind up older when they are finally free to be adopted. And we still hear of cases where bio-fathers show up out of nowhere and want to claim their rights after an adoption.
Maybe it's time to look at the US adoption process and get those kids to the front of the line.


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PostPosted: 12/28/12 7:44 pm • # 13 
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Chaos333 wrote:
where a child was sent back by parents who felt they had been misled about the condition of the child

Wasn't that a single mom, who was a nurse or something.....stuck the kid on a plane back to Russia, alone?


That story was in the second link in my post.


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