by Deborah Wirtel

Created on: October 17, 2008   Last Updated: February 25, 2010

I am the mother of a child adopted from Russia. We got our son in 1999, before the height of Russian adoptions in 2004. Since then, Russian foreign adoptions have been on the decline.

What has fueled such a decline over the last few years?

Regulations, stricter guidelines, intracountry adoption, a shrinking Russian population and a general outrage from Russian citizens have all contributed to this decline.

Adoption of Russian orphans by American parents peaked in 2004. In 2005, foreign adoptions dropped due, in part, to a dispute between child care agencies and politicians over recent reports of Russian children suffering abuse and/or dying in the care of their American parents. The Education Ministry, the department that oversees foreign adoption, had been accused of selling or trafficking Russian orphans. These abuses, deaths and accusations led to Russia putting a hold on foreign adoptions in order to conduct investigations.

During this halt, the licenses of the American adoption agencies working in Russia lapsed.

After Russia conducted their investigation, they then required any American adoption agency wanting to work in Russia to be accredited by the country.

As of July, 2008, 39 American adoption agencies have been accredited to work in Russia.

Declining population in Russia has also contributed to the decline in foreign adoptions.

With a high death rate, low birth rate and high abortion rate, Russia saw it's population drop from a high of 148 million in the 1990s to the current population of 143 million in 2006.

The government offered incentives to couples to encourage larger families. One way the government is trying to solve the declining population problem is by encouraging intracountry adoptions.

Historically, most Russian citizens do not adopt from their own country. The Education Ministry has started a campaign to encourage Russians to adopt Russian orphans. Over 200,000 orphans are listed on a web site, along with information on adoption and how to find an agency. This development could be attributed to the decline of foreign adoption.

Bureaucracy also adds a layer to the decline of foreign adoptions.

A couple in St. Louis, whose names will remain anonymous, spent a year and four trips to Russia trying to adopt their little girl. Lost papers, out of date medical records and a general delay by the courts kept this couple of adopting their daughter for almost a year. Expenses and dissatisfaction with the process will keep this couple from returning to Russia to adopt again,

Regulations, stricter guidelines, Americans' dissatisfaction with the process and declining population have all made adopting from Russia more difficult and cumbersome. As long as the above all factor into the process of foreign adoption, Russian adoptions by American parents will continue to decline.

Craft, Carrie. "Changes for Russian Adoption." N/A 1-2. http://adoption.about.com/od/international/i/adoptru ssiaprob.htm.

Associated Press, "Foreign adoptions in U.S. decline for third year." 30 Nov 2007 1. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22045640/

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