Russia Bans Adoption Agencies
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Russia bans 3 adoption agencies following baby’s death in U.S. |
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MOSCOW, July 11 (RIA Novosti) – Three international adoption agencies, including one that failed to inform Russia of the death of a baby in the U.S. this week, have been banned from operating in Russia, the country’s adoption authorities said on Friday.
A 21-month-old baby adopted from Russia three months ago died in the U.S. state of Virginia on Tuesday after being left by his foster father for several hours in the back of a car, in searing heat.
The Russian Education and Science Ministry’s adoption commission said in a statement: “The agencies to be banned from working on the territory of the Russian Federation include a representative office that violated the requirements of Russian law on swiftly informing us of the death of an adopted child.”
The baby, born with the name Dmitry Yakolev, was left strapped in the back seat of his foster father Miles Harrison’s car when the man drove to work in the town of Herndon. The boy was left in the car in the hot sun as the temperature in the vehicle rose to around 55 degrees C (130 degrees F).
Harrison, 49, was supposed to take the child, who he had named Chase, to a day care center on Tuesday morning but went straight to work, leaving the child in the SUV with tinted windows until late in the afternoon, when a passerby saw the child and alerted the office receptionist.
Herndon police spokesman Jeff Coulter told RIA Novosti earlier on Friday: “Mr. Harrison is in the hospital, where he was admitted in a state of shock after the death of the child. We will give him time to recover, and then we plan to arrest him.”
Coulter said no charges had been filed against Harrison, but that he would be charged with manslaughter, and if found guilty could face up to 10 years in prison.
WTF?? How do you “forget” that your child is in the car? I mean, even if you do forget for, let’s say an hour, wouldn’t SOMETHING prompt you to remember that you left a live being in the car? Someone in the office says “hey, how’s that adopted child of yours doing?” Or you’re thinking about the list of things you have to do that day….one of those being ‘drop kid off at daycare’.
In all my years of driving, I left one half gallon jug of milk in the car overnight. I have never left one of my dogs in the car. I love my dogs; I always known what’s going on with them.
Sheesh!
The incident had been expected to prompt new calls in Russia for tighter controls on adoptions following several other scandals, notably the killing of a two-year-old girl from Siberia by her adoptive mother in the United States. The woman, Peggy Sue Hilt, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May 2006 for beating the child to death.
Here’s a question of APs…
You make a conscious decision to adopt. You spend $20k-30k on fees and paperwork. You go through an extensive background check and psychological evaluation. Then, after you’ve received the prize, you beat your child to death.
This is why they make those big boxing dolls, you know, the ones that you punch and they come back up?. I think every parent, AP or not, should have one of those inhouse, because hey, kids can be a major pain in the ass. When you get to the point where you wanna knock your kid around, you just take 5 and go punch on that for awhile. Everyone’s happy—you’ve gotten your stress out of your system, the toy company is happy that they’re making money, and your kid gets to
live.
Around 120,000 Russian children were adopted both in Russia and abroad in 2007, a 6.4% increase on 2006, according to the Science and Education Ministry.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080711/113805362.html
Adoption agencies MUST be held accountable for their fuck-ups. If an agency isn’t doing a complete psych exam, if they’re only in it for the money, and if an adoptee dies because of their greed, they should be banned from adopting children out in EVERY country that they are operating in!
[...] here in the States at least, there’s been scant mention. Other than on a blog here and there, it’s gotten very little public [...]
Baby Love Child » The death of Dmitry Yakolev/Chase Harrison and the Russian ‘reaction’; 3 agencies banned said this on July 14, 2008 at 12:30 am |
I agree 100% the parents should be 100% responsible in these situations. I cannot fathom what parent could “forget” a child in the car. Once dad recovers, he should prosecuted. Period.
I’d also like to add the EXACT same thing happened in my hometown a few months ago. Father had chld strapped into backseat of SUV. Went to work at bank. Forgot to drop kid off at daycare. Infant died. No charges filed. Everyone felt sorry for family.. oh what a tragedy. Difference? Child was biological… and should I mention infant wasn’t first child. So I’m wondering why it maters that this Russian child was adopted. Reprehensiveable actions on side of parent? Yes. Criminal charges? absolutely. Having anything to do with adoption? Absolutely not. Agency responsible? Absolutely not. If a biological parent is reckless and endangers a child, no one sues the hospital for letting them take the child home. It’s no different here.
Sorry to hijack… but a public blog nvites public comments. Of course, you’re wlcome to flame me. I’m learning something new every day.
I used to do animal rescue. I wasn’t around when the first owner adopted/bought their dog or cat. I was around the second time, when I had to pick the potential adopter. The hoops I made these people go through helped me feel better about having to let go of the animal. I followed up; going by without notice to see whether the animal was being treated properly. If not, I took that animal back.
So, I expect that agencies will do the same thing with APs. I expect them to do criminal background checks, to do psychological assessments, to talk to friends and family. I expect them to follow up and do numerous surprise visits, to make sure everything’s okay. And if they don’t, they shouldn’t be in business. I would make sure they weren’t, if I had that power.
So, yeah, this death isn’t really about adoption. However, the ban on the agency has to do with the failure to follow the directives that the country put in place. The country had an absolute right to ban them, and I’d go further and ensure that they are not allowed to operate in any country.