A downtown Vancouver adoption agency on Wednesday said at least six of its clients who wanted to adopt orphans in Russia would have to look elsewhere to adopt, if a Russian ban on American adoptions is finalized.
"We've been talking to our Russian coordinator every day," said Dan Roberts, executive director of Kids to Adopt. "Everyone is kind of in shock. It's not unusual legislation. Legislation does get introduced from time to time to block adoptions in the U.S. Usually, it doesn't get very far. What's going on right now happened very quickly without any real warning."
Roberts said none of his agency's clients were far enough along in the process to have met their prospective children in Russia, so there will not be the heartache of breaking a bond with a child. The agency also has alternative adoption options lined up for those clients, including in the Eastern European countries of Ukraine and Bulgaria.
"The families were very early in the process," he said. "All of their paperwork can easily be transferred to another country."
Roberts said the ban wouldn't hurt American families' prospects of adoption because there are plenty of opportunities for that in the United States and in other countries, but it would impact Russian orphans.
He said American families can offer treatment and therapy that Russian orphans might have to do without if they remain in Russia. The move could also cause overcrowding and a strain on resources at Russian orphanages.
"I've been to Russia over the years, and the kids in the orphanages are generally well cared for," he said. "They do what they can with what resources they have. If the number of orphans who are adopted goes down that means the numbers in the orphanages will go up. One would expect if the numbers continue to go up, their care is going to suffer."
Kids to Adopt is on Broadway in downtown Vancouver and serves clients worldwide. It handles about 20 adoptions per year.
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