Adoptive parents withdraw application for second child after Supreme Court ruling
Simon and his husband are withdrawing from adopting another Danish child. This is based on the Supreme Court's decision in another adoption case.
It was the dream of creating a family that led Simon and his husband to apply to adopt a Danish child back in 2020.
Barely two years later they had their son, who was one and a half years old at the time.
- When it finally worked out, and we could find a way through how we could have a child together and be a family of the three of us, it was a feeling of happiness beyond compare, says Simon.
Simon is not the adoptive father's real name, but out of concern for the family's anonymity, TV2 ØST calls him Simon in this article. TV2 ØST knows the man's real name.
Withdrawing application for second child
Like many others, the dream of having a family also meant having more than one child. That's why Simon and his husband signed up to adopt another Danish child.
- Our wish is both that our son should have a sibling to play with during his very young years, but also a sibling he could hang out with when he gets older and thinks we are some fools as parents. And then of course in the long term, when we are no longer around, they would still want each other, explains Simon.
But a Supreme Court ruling in another adoption case is now causing them to withdraw their application.
- Based on the Supreme Court ruling, we have chosen to say that we will not have another child, as we currently cannot foresee the potential consequences if contact with the biological parents is ordered, says Simon.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the biological mother.
The ruling that causes the couple to withdraw was handed down on April 3 .
Here, Stephanie Nordal Clemmensen, who is the biological mother of a forcibly adopted child from Lolland, received the Supreme Court's word that she can be allowed to see the child through pictures and observations on the playground.
A decision that overturned previous decisions in the city and high court, and which Stephanie Nordal Clemmensen had fought for several years to obtain.
In the case of Simon and his husband, the biological mother of their son has also previously applied for visitation. This was rejected in the district court, and the biological mother chose not to appeal.
Rejects custody
But the decision in Stephanie Nordal Clemmensen's case now raises renewed concerns about whether visitation rights could be granted in their case at a later date.
Therefore, the couple is now moving away from the idea of adopting more children.
- We feel that our full parental authority is being ignored. That we cannot decide what our child should and should not do. The authorities could dictate that the biological parents can have contact with our child, despite the fact that it is against our wishes, says Simon.
In addition, Simon also points out that with more adopted children there would be a risk that visitation would be granted to another set of biological parents, which according to him would also present practical and logistical challenges.
- This would mean that we could have to commute to several places in the country to have contact with the respective biological parents, and it would probably have to be attended by a social worker, so it would have to be during the day. It would be a challenge with our everyday lives and working lives, he says.
Fewer on the waiting list
Figures from the Danish National Appeals Board show that the number of citizens on the waiting list to adopt a Danish child has gone from increasing to decreasing over the past five years.
The Danish Social Appeals Board cannot state the reason, but Simon suspects that the trend will continue.
- Based on our own history, I would assume that the number of potential adopters will decrease. I assume that this will mean that more children will end up in foster care or orphanages, and they will therefore not create this family relationship that they would achieve through adoption, he says.
At Christiansborg, the social welfare spokespeople that TV2 ØST spoke to believe that it is a problem if fewer people want to adopt Danish children. They also believe that there may be several explanations for the number on the waiting list being decreasing.
Camilla Fabricius is the social spokesperson for the Social Democrats. | Photo: Jacob Bagge Jensen - TV2Øst
- When there has been as much discussion about adoptions in Denmark as there has been, I can imagine that those who want to adopt a child may be concerned about how it goes, says Camilla Fabricius (S) and continues:
- At the same time, we can also see that the options we have for fertility treatments have improved so much. I think that combined is what makes a difference in terms of the number on the waiting list.
Goes to the Minister of Social Affairs
There is agreement among the rapporteurs that there should be the possibility of contact between biological parents and adopted children.
- I can understand that having contact with the biological parents can be something that might affect the desire to adopt. But what is important is that we have the child's best interests in focus here and therefore also the child's opportunity to also orient themselves towards the biological parents, to the extent that the child would like to do so, says the Liberal Party's social affairs spokesman, Christian Friis Bach.
Christian Friis Bach is the social affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Party. | Photo: Line Strand - TV2 ØST
Christian Friis Bach says he is discussing the challenges of national adoptions with Minister of Social Affairs Sophie Hæstorp Andersen. The same message is from Charlotte Broman Mølbæk, who is the social affairs spokesperson for the Danish Social Democratic Party.
Charlotte Broman Mølbæk is the social affairs spokesperson for SF. | Photo: Line Strand - TV2 ØST
- I want to talk to the minister about how the system works and how to inform when you initiate an adoption. I also think we should look at what help and support this new family gets in that process, she says.