By Conor Sweeney Conor Sweeney - Fri Apr 16, 10:19 am ET
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A top Russian official said on Friday he hoped to quickly place an adopted boy into foster care one week after he was sent home alone from the United States, sparking a halt to all U.S. adoptions by Russia.
Artyom Savelyev, who celebrated his eighth birthday on Friday in a Moscow hospital where he is under observation, arrived by airplane with a letter from his U.S. mother asking for his adoption to be annulled on the grounds he was mentally unstable, triggering a furious reaction in Russia.
"Next week Artyom will be discharged from hospital and will go to a foster family in Moscow," said the Russian President's Ombudsman for Children's Rights, Pavel Astakhov, after visiting him in hospital with birthday presents.
While children left without parental care usually face an uncertain future whose fate is not quickly solved, Astakhov said a decision was taken on Friday so everything possible would be done in Savelyev's case, he said on his website rfdeti.ru.
Savelyev was adopted from an orphanage in Russia's Far East in 2009. After six months, his adoptive mother, a single nurse from Tennessee, bought him a one-way ticket to Moscow. In an attached, typed note she described him as mentally unstable and violent.
Within around three weeks Astahkov said he hoped the "most suitable family" would be found for the boy, who has been in hospital since his return from the United States.
Astakhov said Savelyev was in a good mood and smiling on Friday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described the affair as a "monstrous deed" and Russian media has followed the case closely, expressing outrage at the boy's experience.
Lawmakers drafted a bill on Friday that would formally suspend adoptions to the United States in line with an earlier Foreign Ministry announcement, Interfax reported.
Russia is the third largest source of foreign adoptions to the United States, with 1,586 children adopted last year, according to the U.S. State Department.
The U.S. embassy in Moscow said on Friday the child was "in good spirits" when a consular officer visited to give him a present. It added that Savelyev holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship.
(Reporting by Conor Sweeney; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
You have a point...what I should have said was that in the publics eye, it can seem worse because she is a nurse
I just wish that she hadnt been a nurse I guess...
Or that when she adopted a child, she would have been smart enough to realize that it wouldnt be all sunshine and roses...
Raising any child is never easy...this boy had 7 years, at best in an orphanage that gave him baseline care. When shows are on tv concerning these orphanages, even the babies in cribs hve blank stares, due to lack of interaction. Lots of these kids have fetal alcohol syndrome, or other issues. Throw in a language barrier-sounds like it;s a setup for a realproblem. Wonder how much training in dealing with these kids is provided by the orphanages...A very sad situation, all around...
I'm a bit surprised that the airline accepted him under those circumstances. Granted, children of that age travel alone all of the time. You have to have a name, address and phone number of the adult that will be receiving the child, I don't know if just putting down the orphanage information (if that is what was done) would be adequate.
I'm a bit surprised that the airline accepted him under those circumstances. Granted, children of that age travel alone all of the time. You have to have a name, address and phone number of the adult that will be receiving the child, I don't know if just putting down the orphanage information (if that is what was done) would be adequate.
And I have also heard that more recently, airlines like to have someone assigned as a sort of an escort for them on a plane, if they are traveling w/out parents/guardians....
thanks, jules. i agree that i do indeed have the right to weigh in. your comments to readers about the fact that they should not pass judgment, because they have not had the the opportunity to work with special or high needs kids...i do not agree with that, completely. i believe that even though they may not have personal experience, it is still possible for them to make sound judgments.
sadly the truth is that many people have a dream of family and yet unrealistic expectations that this cute little toddler only needs love and support until it starts self-mutilating. i care for children that have horrendous issues before age 10 and that is only the tip of the iceberg because when the teenage years hit all these issues are exacerbated. you have experience with this but again for those that haven't dealt with young children that have tortured defenseless animals, sexually assaulted their siblings, started fires and threatened to kill mom and dad the reality is almost impossible to imagine.
I think what I'm most disgusted about, is the fact that America seems to have this "I deserve what I want" mentality---an instant gratification mentality. The woman had to go through several more steps of education, parenting classes, homestudy, etc. than the parent that births their children.
She was told what it would be like. She was warned about adoption and all its' possible trials and tribulations. I think that not only was she incredibly wrong for doing what she did, I also firmly believe she should have taken this whole adoption endeavor with more seriousness and a sense of "this is going to be my child no matter what."
I'm just curious on this point: would she have had to go through such classes and preparation if adopting from the Russians? Is it the same if you're adopting out of the U.S. as if you're adopting American children? Does the State Department mandate everything, regardless of country, or does the individual nation control the preparation process? I don't know much about out-of-country adoption, so I'm a bit uncertain as to how that part works.
And to the commenter who indicated that single parents should not be permitted to adopt...good lord! There are some single women and men who would make fabulous parents, with or without a partner. There are others who have no business even considering parenthood. So basically, they're just like married/committed couples (gay or straight). Sure, it can be tough, but there are plenty of single parents who have better support networks than married couples. Making a blanket decree that no single people should be permitted to adopt is unfair and uninformed.
Well, if the child was known before the adoption to have a personal or familial history of mental illness and that information was not disclosed then I see nothing wrong with annulling the adoption.
Well if the child was known before the adoption to have a personal or familial history of mental illness and that information was not disclosed then I see nothing wrong with annulling the adoption.[/quote']
While I can't say I agree with your viewpoint you are correct in that very often this type of thing is not disclosed. I've known of many adoptive parents that were told "possible inutero exposure to drugs and/or alcohol" which to me screams BEWARE.
sadly the truth is that many people have a dream of family and yet unrealistic expectations that this cute little toddler only needs love and support until it starts self-mutilating. i care for children that have horrendous issues before age 10 and that is only the tip of the iceberg because when the teenage years hit all these issues are exacerbated. you have experience with this but again for those that haven't dealt with young children that have tortured defenseless animals, sexually assaulted their siblings, started fires and threatened to kill mom and dad the reality is almost impossible to imagine.
ya' know, i have to give you this. you are very correct. you know what made me reconsider? your statement of "sadly the truth is that many people have a dream of family and yet unrealistic expectations that this cute little toddler only needs love and support until it starts self-mutilating." this is so true. there are many that believe if you just love them enough, it will all be ok.....
knock on wood, we have not had any fires yet!!!
i have been accused of being callous, not fully understanding the severity/seriousness of the issue that my kids and the kids i have worked with, have. i have been accused of spoiling my kids and clients....i have been accused of being overly demanding of my kids or clients. but my system produces results and good ones at that! not saying i am perfect, or that my kids and clients are perfect. some never make it, but those that do....it's amazing to see/experience!
I'm just curious on this point: would she have had to go through such classes and preparation if adopting from the Russians? Is it the same if you're adopting out of the U.S. as if you're adopting American children? Does the State Department mandate everything, regardless of country, or does the individual nation control the preparation process? I don't know much about out-of-country adoption, so I'm a bit uncertain as to how that part works.
And to the commenter who indicated that single parents should not be permitted to adopt...good lord! There are some single women and men who would make fabulous parents, with or without a partner. There are others who have no business even considering parenthood. So basically, they're just like married/committed couples (gay or straight). Sure, it can be tough, but there are plenty of single parents who have better support networks than married couples. Making a blanket decree that no single people should be permitted to adopt is unfair and uninformed.
:yeah:
You would go through an American adoption agency which would require a homestudy. Sometimes there are 2 homestudies required, depending upon differing factors.
just my opinion.. if she had done research before adopting she would have known that foreign adoptions,while quicker,have problems with disclosing info. I have been hearing about info not told to adoptive parents since2000. If she knowingly took that risk,she should have stuck it out.
ya' know, i have to give you this. you are very correct. you know what made me reconsider? your statement of "sadly the truth is that many people have a dream of family and yet unrealistic expectations that this cute little toddler only needs love and support until it starts self-mutilating." this is so true. there are many that believe if you just love them enough, it will all be ok.....
when i first saw that news story my heart sank. fwiw i love these kids and most days i feel as if they have given me more than i could ever give them just by witnessing their resilience. like you i hold out hope for a peaceful future for every one of them and feel relieved that while they are in my care they are warm, well fed and respected. what really makes me angry is that so much of this heartbreak could be avoided if there were better laws regarding drug and alcohol abuse while pregnant. i'd gladly give up my never ending supply of overtime if there weren't any more fetal alcohol or crack babies that needed hospitalization.
I'd gladly give up my never ending supply of overtime if there weren't any more fetal alcohol or crack babies that needed hospitalization.
I'm with you, there.....I've never worked in an area where I had to provide care for these babies but I have sat up all night in a home setting with quite a few. My age group usually ranged/ranges from 3-11.........
dscrn
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Raising any child is never easy...this boy had 7 years, at best in an orphanage that gave him baseline care. When shows are on tv concerning these orphanages, even the babies in cribs hve blank stares, due to lack of interaction. Lots of these kids have fetal alcohol syndrome, or other issues. Throw in a language barrier-sounds like it;s a setup for a realproblem. Wonder how much training in dealing with these kids is provided by the orphanages...A very sad situation, all around...