Introduction of Civil Union Bill may have affected the adoption process, no adoptions since

Introduction of Civil Union Bill may have affected the adoption process, no adoptions since

Helena GrechMonday, 7 September 2015, 11:30Last update: about 9 months ago

Since the introduction of the Civil Union Bill granting homosexual partners joint adoption rights, a spokesperson from Appogg Adoption Services has confirmed that no new adoptions have been registered or successfully approved.

The Bill was brought before Parliament in September 2013 and signed into law on 16 August 2014. It grants civil unions the same rights as marriage, including joint adoption.

The adoption process, from beginning to end, can take up to a few years, considerable financing, preparatory courses, home visits as well as submitting all the necessary reports. It is in no way a quick or easy process, but for certain couples who are either infertile or physically incapable of bearing children together, it is their only hope.

The adoption process is not an easy one as adoption agencies and orphanages must be sure that the children, who are already in a less than desirable situation, will go to a stable and loving home.

According to the spokesperson, the countries that Maltese parents have been successful in adopting a child since 2013 are Russia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Slovakia, Albania, Malta and the Philippines.

In the case of Russia, various news media have reported that the Russian government has halted adoptions to Malta since the introduction of the Civil Union Bill came into law. The issue reportedly is not that Russian children are adopted by homosexual couples, but that if after a successful adoption takes place with a heterosexual couple, and this couple is no longer able to care for the child, the child may be re-adopted by a homosexual couple. Therefore, the issue here is not adoption, but re-adoption.

It has been reported that Cambodia and Vietnam are also closing its doors since the introduction of the Civil Unions Bill; however, a reliable source who is well versed in current adoption trends and obstacles stated that the only foreign country that has been an issue since the introduction of the Bill has been Russia.

The source added that a lot of prospective adoptive parents are keen to adopt Russian children because they look European as opposed to Cambodian, Vietnamese or Ethiopian.

In 2013, there were nine successful adoptions of children by Maltese adoptive parents, in 2014 the number was eight and between January 2015 and September 2015 the number stood at four. Since the spokesperson from Appogg confirmed that no successful adoptions took place after the introduction of the Civil Union Bill, one can infer that the adoption of those four children in 2015 was successfully concluded before April 2015.

The spokesperson mentioned specifically the legal process for Maltese parents to give their child up for adoption. The law specifies a number of conditions under which consent can be bypassed by the courts.

Asked whether prospective adoptive parents prefer to adopt either Maltese or foreign children, the spokesperson said that Maltese parents tend to prefer adopting foreign children. Many Maltese parents also prefer to adopt Caucasian children.

Questions put forward by The Malta Independent on Sunday to Appogg Adoption Services show that the biggest advantages prospective adoptive parents have is support from various family members as well as previous positive and successful adoption experiences.

In response to the biggest obstacles prospective parents face, the spokesperson listed a lack of available countries that allow Maltese parents to adopt, while available countries tend to have older children or children with health problems, Maltese prospective parents prefer to adopt Caucasian children and lastly financial issues.

Prospective adoptive parents prefer not to adopt older children because they would like to experience all the milestones in their child’s life, if possible from infancy. Another reason could be that prospective parents feel they could create a closer bond with younger children.

Prospective adoptive parents all over the world face a lengthy, difficult and emotional process when adopting a child. It should not be made too easy, as safeguarding the interests of the children is of paramount importance.

On the other hand however, if the process becomes too difficult, too expensive and too emotional, there might be instances where prospective loving parents will be discouraged and prevented from opening up their hearts and their home to a child in need.

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