When it comes to American adoption of Russian children, Russian media rarely, if ever, airs positive stories of the incredible experience these children and their new families share.
It seems that American families rarely get the credit they deserve for giving Russian orphans, many of who have mental and physical disabilities, a chance at a fulfilling life in the United States.
For years, the Russian Embassy in Washington DC held an event around Easter time during which American families would bring their adopted children in for a day of fun, games, food, and concerts. The devotion and love towards these children was evident and heartwarming.
Unfortunately, most Russians are only aware of the stories of Americans harming and abusing their Russian children because only those instances are made public. The positive stories and experiences do not get any airtime.
A few weeks ago, Russia’s Foreign Ministry demanded a temporary ban on American adoption of Russian children, citing an "unceasing chain of crimes in the United States against adopted Russian children."
The ministry insisted on the suspension of adoptions until the July 2011 Russia-U.S. Adoption Agreement was fully enforced.
“We also believe that it is necessary to consider making changes to the Russian Family Code in order to introduce stricter criteria for foreign adopters," the statement said.
The case of Theresa McNulty, who was sentenced in Pennsylvania for abusing her Russian daughter, Dasha, sparked the decision to put a temporary ban on adoptions. According to the Ministry, the U.S. district court in Pennsylvania issued ‘an unreasonably mild sentence.’
The Russian Ministry also questioned the State Department’s ability to protect the rights of Russian children who have been adopted to American parents:
“It is the new case of violence against a Russian child in the United States, about which the Department of State informed us only three years after the crime had been committed.”
Official figures show that about 60,000 Russian children have been adopted by American families since the process began over 15 years ago.
Of those 60,000, as of last year, seventeen Russian children have died in America as a result of child abuse or neglect which has caused a hysteria in the Russian media.
It does not come as a surprise that the Russian government is concerned about these figures. It should be. But making the process to adopt even more difficult by adding more red tape and bureaucratic rules and regulations does not help anyone.
Preventative measures should be taken. There is no doubt about that. But the families who care for and love their adoptive Russian children should not be undermined because of a few bad people who have abused their privileges as adoptive parents.
Most Russian-American adoptions are successful, but unfortunately the media tends to only focus on the negative. What the Russian media also never mentions is the fact that the adoption agencies often times give away sick children without letting the adoptive parents know the extent of the child’s disabilities. Yet most American parents still welcome these children into their lives as one of their own.
There are certainly two sides to every story. And there are no winners in cases where children are abused. But unfortunately, only one side seems to be told about the Russian-American adoption process. If we continue to demonize American parents who have a desire to adopt Russian children, everyone loses.
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