I hope you saw my latest weekly column.

 

ROGER WICKER: State department has made overseas adoption more difficult
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I am fortunate to have grown up in a home with two loving parents. They gave
me the care, stability, and training I needed to succeed. But not every child
is so fortunate. Across our country, and especially abroad, there are countless
children who have no mom, no dad, no family, and no relatives to take them in
and care for them. These children often reside in deplorable conditions, in
orphanages, and as wards of the state.

 

Americans have always had a heart for these children. For decades, Americans
have led the world in welcoming orphans from abroad into a forever family. As a
result, there are more than 150,000 children adopted from foreign countries
growing up in America today. These children and their adoptive families are
examples of America at its best. Some of them are now part of my extended
family; others go to church with Gayle and me.

 

Unfortunately, this great legacy of compassion is at risk. U.S. adoptions from
foreign countries have sharply declined in recent years. In 2004, Americans
adopted 23,000 children from foreign countries. Last year, that number fell
below 3,000 – an 87 percent drop over 15 years. One reason for the decline is
that some countries, like Russia, have shut their doors to adoptive parents.
But the most troubling cause of the decline comes from within our own
government.

 

State department is biased against adoption.

 

For years, the U.S. State Department and its adoption accrediting entity have
been hostile to intercountry adoption. They have obstructed the adoption
process with fees and red tape. And they have put crushing regulations on
adoption-providing agencies, making it almost impossible to stay in business.
The result has been devastating. Over the last year and a half, more than 30
adoption agencies have stopped providing intercountry adoptions, and some have
had to shut down completely. Tragically, this means more orphans each year will
remain in institutions rather than with a loving family.

 

These troubling developments can be traced to the State Department’s Office of
Children’s Issues. This office was created by Congress to promote international
adoption, but under misguided leadership, it is doing the exact opposite. In
2018, for example, it directly intervened to prevent three well-respected
adoption agencies from having their accreditation renewed. In 2019, it issued a
public letter threatening the future of intercountry adoption. It even hosted a
public forum last year that featured radically anti-adoption speakers.

 

The Office of Children’s Issues has managed to fly under the radar for years.
I have raised my concerns with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and I hope he
will take a close look at what has happened and restore this office to its
pro-adoption mission. These bureaucrats need to be held accountable to the
American people.

 

Congress works to restore intercountry adoption.

 

In recent weeks, I have called on the Senate to investigate the Office of
Children’s Issues and hold hearings to expose their misuse of authority. In
addition, I have co-sponsored legislation requiring the State Department to
give an account for their actions and explain how they are working to make
intercountry adoption more feasible. The bill would also help prospective
parents get the information they need to pursue adoption abroad. This
legislation has passed the House and Senate unanimously and now awaits the
President’s signature.

 

It is a shame that federal bureaucrats have gotten in the way of thousands of
American families who are seeking to adopt. Their actions are out of step with
congressional intent, American values, and basic morality. I am committed to
making sure the government respects our great tradition of adoption and makes
it easier, not harder, to welcome children in need.

 

You can click here to share my Op-Ed with your friends on Facebook!
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Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker

 

 

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