U.S. Issues Warning of Obstacles In Adopting Romanian Children
U.S. Issues Warning of Obstacles In Adopting Romanian Children
By DAVID BINDER
Published: May 24, 1991
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Americans seeking to adopt Romanian children were warned by the State Department today that they face formidable legal obstacles both in this country and in Romania, where foreign adoptions are to be suspended pending completion of new legislation.
After the Communist dictatorship was overthrown in December 1989, the wretched existence of 140,000 Romanian children, many of them orphans in state institutions, was given wide publicity. As a result, many Western European and American couples went there seeking children for adoption. And a small but profitable illegal market in children for sale was created.
Recently, scores of prospective American parents have found themselves having to spend weeks at a time in Bucharest trying to untangle both Romanian and American red tape in obtaining proper documents for adoption and for United States visas for the newly adopted children. This month about 50 of these Americans picketed the United States Embassy in Bucharest to protest delays in paperwork.
A Romanian spokesman said in Bucharest today that on June 1 foreign adoptions would be suspended until the semi-governmental Committee for Adoptions established comprehensive new procedures. The head of the committee, Alexandra Zugravesvu, said the suspension would probably last until September.
Last week the Chamber of Deputies of the National Assembly approved legislation aimed at halting illegal adoptions. Traian Chelebeu, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the Senate, or upper house, was expected to approve the legislation next week.
Since the overthrow of the dictatorship of President Nicolae Ceausescu, close to 7,000 Romanian children have been adopted. A State Department official said that as of May 6, Americans had adopted 1,443 Romanian children -- 480 of them in 1990.
In that period, the pool of children eligible for adoption has shrunk considerably. In the Ceausescu era, abortions and birth control devices were illegal and, as a result, thousands of unwanted children were born. Since then, birth control devices have become widely available, and the number of abortions now greatly exceeds births.
In recent months, foreigners have sought Romanian children for adoption both privately and through the Adoption Committee.
Prospective American parents have encountered difficulties on both tracks. Privately offered children have been supplied with fraudulent papers that American consular officials have rejected. Children considered adoptable by the official committee have turned out not to have been legally abandoned.
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, which has become involved in the issue, insists that under American law, in order for foreign children to be eligible for American visas, it must be established that they are either orphans or were clearly abandoned by both parents.
Still, a spokesman, Duke Austin, said the I.N.S. had issued 20 waivers for privately acquired Romanian children on "humanitarian" grounds and was considering 80 more waiver applications.
The State Department's warning today, directed to "all prospective parents contemplating travel to Romania," strongly urged them to contact the department before departure.
It said general information on the adoption issue was available by calling (202) 647-8444; a travel advisory on Romania, at 647-5225, and information on American visas, at 647-0510.
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