Cedar Park family’s hope for second adoption dashed

An international conflict is causing heartache for some prospective parents in Texas and throughout the rest of the United States.

Adoption, which can often be a very complex corner of family law, is the only avenue some married couples can take in order to have kids. Those who were hoping to adopt children from Russia are no doubt disheartened at a recent law put in place by the Russian government, banning United States parents from adopting children from the country.

The ban was put in place supposedly to counter attack a new American policy that made it tougher for Russian leaders accused of human rights violations to get a visa.

One family from Cedar Park has already adopted a child from Russia before the law was put in place. They were hoping to adopt an additional child from the country, but the Russian government has stymied their plans.

The couple explained to local media the joy that came with adopting their Russian child three years ago. The adoption process took the couple over a year to complete. They toured a number of orphanages in Russia before finally returning stateside with a little girl.

That same couple voiced concern that President Vladamir Putin and Russian officials would use innocent children as a pawn in this international conflict. The family said they will wait and hope that the law is eventually taken off the books so they can go forward with their plans to adopt from Russia.

This local family is not alone in their hopes. Roughly 50 families in the U.S. were in the middle of the adoption process when the law went into effect. Those families are now left waiting and wondering.

Adoption can involve parents trying to adopt a child from another country or someone close like a stepparent trying to adopt their spouse’s child. Either way, the process is often a complex one. It is by no means a do-it-yourself venture and requires the guide of family law professionals that deals with such cases regularly.

Source: KXAN.com, “Russian adoption ban upsets families,” Jan. 6, 2013