Comments on: JCICS Statement on Special Needs Adoptions

By: Dick Graham

Dick Graham — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:38:44 +0000

Look we can all agree that other countries do adopt special needs children. We have worked to place special needs children for years and I can tell you it is not easy. There are not a lot of families who were knocking down our door. Some of the children we had placed on our site would be viewed by thousands of families before finding one. We would get many calls about specific children and the families would never follow through. My point is each child deserves to have as much a chance as possible and that means as many opportunities for families to adopt them. If the US does not participate then there will be hundreds of thousands of lost opportunities. I came across a web site a few months ago that showed the numbers of international adoptions to all countries ( I can’t find the site now but will keep looking) and it clearly showed that the US does the lions share of international adoptions. You take the US out of the picture and you at least cut each special needs child’s opportunities in half.

As to the CIS, we should all work to see that they don’t keep any child in limbo. There is no reason to keep them in limbo. They should process these cases as they would any other case.

Dick Graham

By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:57 +0000

I am speaking of special needs kids. I personally know of two children from my son’s orphanage who were sn and never adopted by US families, even though both were available. We’ve been able to confirm that both found homes in Italy very quickly.

And this is for Dick — I share your concerns about CIS. So how can you guarantee they will process immigration applications on behalf of sn kids now? Leaving sn kids in US immigration limbo would seem to me to be the worst possible outcome for these children.

By: Dick Graham

Dick Graham — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:28:10 +0000

There will be some adopted by other countries but there will still be those that do not get homes elsewhere. Just because some of these kids might be adopted in other countries in no way means we should not help as many as we can. Should we just sit by and hope someone else picks up the slack? Families from other countries adopt from all the countries US families adopt from. Does this mean we should not be adopting from any of them?

As I said in my post we offered a solution to the problem of what qualifies as special needs and the DOS did nothing with it. I want to see the DOS and USCIS working on solutions. I want to see them working with agencies to solve the problems. We have tried as have other agencies but to no avail.

Dick Graham
IAAP

By: Dick Graham

Dick Graham — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:21:43 +0000

No Nicki we are not in the Hague Process. We do not have the money nor the staff to do this. Vietnam is our only program and it is unlikely that adoption will resume in Vietnam even if they sign the Hague. They will still have to satify the USCIS and DOS.

Dick Graham

By: Jenn V

Jenn V — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:07:54 +0000

Other countries are moving in…or have moved in…to adopt the healthy babies that the USA says are “corrupt”. This conversation is about special needs children. If Americans are not allowed to adopt SN’s children…those children will live out their days in the orphanages. Why would someone adopt a Hep positive baby, when a healthy baby is so easy to get for a European now? The orphanages are full to capacity of babies now that the USA cannot adopt those ORPHANS. And I can’t fathom the thought of Regina’s little girl living her whole life BLIND and without a mommy. And that would have happend if she had not adopted her. NO European would have adopted her. Get real. There is NO REASON to shut down SN adoptions in this interum period before a new agreement takes place. Are evil people “buying” and “selling” children with mental handicaps and CP now? I think not!

Jenn V.

By: Nicki

Nicki — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:41:17 +0000

Hi Dick - I’m curious - Is your agency in the process of becoming Hague Accredited? If so, at what stage?

By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:44:05 +0000

But how would SN children be left behind with so many Italian and French agencies moving into the same orphanages US agencies are now leaving? This includes at least some of the provinces where IAAP currently works. And what about CIS processing times — if they delay and delay because they don’t want US agencies working in Vietnam, as you yourself stated, how would that help SN kids with immediate medical needs?

By: Regina

Regina — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:31:19 +0000

Kuddos to you Mr. Graham and IAAP for once again being a voice of reason & boldly speaking the truth!!
This announcement by the JCICS was both erroneous and irresponsible and will only result of scaring off potential parents to children who absolutely need them the most. This is a travesty that needs to be publicly corrected ASAP.
AP to 3XVietnam ~ one who 3 months ago was blind, but NOW she sees…

By: Dick Graham

Dick Graham — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:46:28 +0000

It is unbelievable how far JCICS, the USCIS and DOS will go to prevent adoption from Vietnam. Now they are trying to stop special needs adoptions. The fact is agencies can conduct special needs adoptions on behalf of families. This comes directly from Dr. Long at the DIA. We are proceeding with special needs adoptions. We along with other agencies consulted with both the DIA and the DOS about special needs adoptions and both confirmed that special needs adoptions could continue after September 1.

This is not going to prevent a new agreement. On the contrary it would be a way for the Vietnamese to demonstrate that adoptions can and are being completed in a legal and ethical way. These kids cannot wait while the United States get off its sorry butt and does something constructive. We gave the DOS an out line of a very good program to provide safeguards for special needs adoptions to continue and they did nothing with it so we were left to just go it along. I for one and not going to sit by while special needs children need homes and our help.

Dick Graham
IAAP

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:34:27 +0000

I’ve been following the thread on this topic on one of the groups- I’m really hoping this is seen by the PAPs who need it most. Are you going to post this info or a link to this post on the boards?