For
over 25 years in the Senate, I have been an advocate for adoption.
Adoption
is a way for families to be created out of tragedy. It’s a pathway to the joy
of raising children, and the security of a place to call home.
One
family, Cate and Ben Bryan of Iowa, made the choice to open their hearts and
home to a child from China and were matched with a little girl named Rosie.
Hundreds
of families across the country, including the Bryans and others in Iowa, have
chosen adoption from China. They’ve been matched with specific children and
made arrangements to welcome them home.
Many
of these kids being adopted from China have disabilities or other special needs
and require specialized health care and services.
These
kids are in desperate need of families to take care of them, but are being
denied the opportunity to come home with their parents due to China’s refusal
to let Americans into the country to complete adoptions.
In
February of 2020, China closed its border due to the spread of COVID. This
meant that parents who had already been matched with a child in China could not
proceed with their adoptions. Parents must physically be present in China to
continue the adoptive process and bring their child home.
What
was said to be a temporary, emergency precaution has stretched into years,
despite the availability of vaccines.
Due
to China’s unwillingness to open its border to these parents, adoptions have
been stalled for almost two years.
Some
parents have been prohibited from communicating with their children during this
time.
The
Bryans are unable to receive updated health information about their daughter
and are unable to send her letters or care packages. She might not even know
that they’ve been trying for years to bring her into their family.
Other
countries that participate in international adoption have found a way to
continue the process. Even countries with travel restrictions on other groups
have made exceptions for adoptive families.
Parents
are willing to quarantine, be tested and take every precaution asked of them.
China has opened the country to athletes participating in the Olympics, those
wishing to do business and to American journalists.
Tourist
visas are still not being issued and adoptive parents are being classified as
tourists, despite the specific reason for their visit.
It’s
imperative that the Biden administration work to get adoptions from China
moving again.
These
families have been waiting long enough. The kids they’re working to adopt have
been waiting even longer.
I
get the chance to hear from kids in foster care in the U.S. through my role as
Chairman of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth.
I
always hear the same message from them. They want a mom and a dad. They want a
loving place to call home.
Kids
in China are no different. They deserve a family and the safety and security of
loving parents.
I
pray that the hearts of Chinese leaders are softened enough to allow these
families into the country and allow these kids to come home.
