Moratorium

I told several of you briefly about the moratorium the Ukraine legislation is trying to pass. I also said that I'd post more information to explain it. So, here I am.

Moratorium, by definition, is a suspension of activity.

Moratorium ,in regards to adoption, therefore means a suspension of all adoptions.

The following is my opinion, based on facts, of moratoriums in general.

The parliament in Ukraine and in many other Eastern European countries are being pressured into disallowing adoptions as a requisite to becoming part of the European Union. The European Union itself may be a good thing for these countries, however banning international adoption is not good, nor does it benefit any involved. The intent of the EU is supposedly for the applying countries to "clean up their orphan situation." However, how can anyone view the banning of international adoption as an asset to this goal? In the majority of these eastern European countries, adoption within the countries is not popular, due to social stigmas and other fatalistic views, nor is it economically feasible for the residents therein. Children who are orphaned often do not have anyone to live with or a place to go, skills to survive or means to take care of themselves once they reach the age of 16 and are expelled from the orphanages. They quickly turn to measures of desperation to simply survive-drugs, alcohol, and prostitution, paving the way for an entire new generation of orphans to be born. These orphans are looked down upon, often being denied occupancy and employment due to their unchosen orphan classification. Oftentimes these countries resort to actually destroying records of orphans or simply not registering them as such, therefore making it impossible for adoption to ever take place. This is done in order to cause the appearance of their "orphan situation" being taken care of. The stark reality of this legislation is that due to the financial hardships faced by citizens of these countries,along with social stigmas, these children will never have the opportunity to be adopted. How is it possible that any person could look at these facts and statistics and in good conscience require the banning of international adoption when clearly the children who are already suffering in these institutions will be so directly and negatively impacted? Surely the governments will not benefit from these qualifications as the population of orphans will thus increase and in turn require more of their budget to institutionalize and support these children. I cannot accept or even begin to understand the thought process that goes into the idea that banning international adoption is the way to end the cycle of orphans and "help" the "situation" or that it should somehow be a requisite for the entrance into a political entity.

The direct, immediate impact of a moratorium is that those hoping to adopt, along with those currently processing paperwork to adopt, may not be permitted to pursue their planned adoption. Children who have already been abandoned and are currently living in institutions will be denied the opportunity to have a family who will both love and care for them. Families, hoping to gain a son or daughter, would not be allowed to pursue the avenue of adoption.

As the parliament of Ukraine prepares to vote on this issue, please pray that the hearts of those voting will be softened, that the adoptions that are being processed will be successful, and that those children left in institutions will be able to overcome statistics and become productive, self-sufficient members of society.