The good doctor

  • 2008-09-03
  • Interview by Monika Hanley

Dr. Robert Jolley, International Adoption Expert

What is an overview of the adoption situation in the Baltics?
Compared to some of the larger sending countries ("sending countries" are sources of adoptable children and "receiving countries" are the destination for internationally adopted children), the three Baltic countries have relatively few children available for adoption.  Family life is relatively stable, there is no recent history of war or natural disasters that often result in orphaned children, NGO and public supports are available to assist families and children, and there is an evident disinclination to permit children born in the Baltics to be adopted outside of the country.  This last observation is particularly evident in Latvia. The trend toward domestic adoption makes it more difficult for foreigners to find available children, but in my opinion it is a positive development when adequate family resources are available in the country of a child's birth for that child to be adopted domestically. 

Who is doing the adoption and what ages are they adopting?
Most healthy infants and young children (to age six or seven) are adopted domestically.  According to the Ministry for Children and Family Affairs Web site, in Latvia, in 2007, 64 of 84 local adoptions (76 percent) were children under the age of six.  Thus far this year, fully 87 percent adopted domestically in Latvia were under the age of six.  Most of the adoptive parents are middle-aged, middle-class couples; people who are unable to have biological children or people who wish to add to their family by adoption. 
The majority of children adopted internationally are over the age of seven.  In fact, as recently as March 2008, the Ministry for Children & Family Affairs developed policies limiting international adoptions to: a) sibling groups of three or more, b) a child over nine, c) a child with severe health problems, or d) a child released for adoption and not adopted internally.

Lithuania limits international adoption by age among other criteria.
There must be a minimum of 18 years difference between adoptive parents and child. Adoptive parents generally cannot be over the age of 50.  In rare instances, the courts may allow a family with one parent over the age of 50 to adopt a child over the age of eight.  In addition, inter-country adoption of Lithuanian children is generally restricted to married couples. 

Generally, couples are preferred adopters, but under some circumstances single people may be permitted to adopt. Italy, France, the U.S.A, British Isles and Sweden are among the most common destinations for children adopted internationally from the Baltic countries.   

What are some of the problems with adopting children here?
There are some significant constraints that impact international adoption worldwide'smeeting eligibility standards, successful completion of detailed paperwork, costs, and time.  Eligibility standards vary from country to country.  Some require couples to be married; some have minimum age, health, financial requirements. 
The additional constraint that faces most people interested in adoption from one of the Baltic countries is the very limited availability of healthy infants and young children.  As noted above, most adoptive parents prefer healthy infants or young children and the Baltics continue to encourage and give preference for domestic adoption of infants and young children.           

Are there any social stigmas associated with adopting or children who have been adopted?
The policies and processes of international adoption continue to evolve, generally in positive ways.  The Hague Convention is the most recent and most widely accepted approach that provides guidelines, directives and a recourse for grievances that has now been adopted by dozens of countries around the world.  There are nonetheless some controversies surrounding international adoption that persist.  While most view international adoption as a process of providing a caring family for orphaned or abandoned children, some view the institution of adoption as one more example of wealthy, developed countries exploiting poorer, less developed countries.  Trans-racial or trans-ethnic adoption is sometimes viewed as separating children from their cultural heritage and does occasionally result in isolation or discrimination toward children or families.

Do the children face any problems later on in life?
Many studies suggest that children who are adopted have more behavioral and mental health problems than children who are not adopted. Other studies suggest that most adoptees develop within normal developmental limits.  There are some problems that adoptees and their families face that most other people do not face.  Adoption is a unique means of forming a family and adoptive families are best advised to "accept the differences" of adoption (two sets of parents, birthdates and adoption dates, physical, emotional, or other traits and abilities that may differ significantly from the adoptive family, and lack of family medical history, among others).

Is adoption gaining popularity?
"Popularity" is probably not the best descriptor for adoption trends, but there is some data and several trends that suggest interest in, and support for adoption, both domestic and international adoption, is growing worldwide.
There is growing worldwide understanding that large institutions are generally not the best places to raise children.  In the past 20-25 years, two of the largest countries in the world (China and Russia) have opened their doors to international adoption resulting in a dramatic increase in adoption since 1985.