Child Adoption or Abduction?

On Monday, a Greek couple was remanded into custody after being accused of abducting a child they call ‘Maria.’ As the search for the child’s biological parents continues, news of her story is spreading worldwide. The couple claims that they adopted the child with the permission of her biological mother. The couple admitted that their adoption was “non-legal,” but claims that the biological mother will verify that they had permission to adopt the child.

Unfortunately for this couple and others like them, a biological mother’s permission to adopt her child may not cure the use of illegal means to attempt to adopt a child. Strict laws govern both domestic and inter-country adoptions. Local laws of the country of the adoptee must also be followed. If any of the laws are violated, or rules or procedures are not followed, it may result in the removal of a child from persons whom the child has called parents for as long as the child can remember. Whether a person’s failure to follow the law and the procedures set forth therein is intentional or accidental, the true victims in cases of “illegal” adoptions are the adoptive children.

In the context of inter-country adoptions, each country sets forth its own restrictions on adoptions to foreigners. In the recent past, we have seen a decrease in the number of international adoptions. Some people attribute the decrease in the number of international adoptions to the increase in restrictions imposed on foreigners seeking to adopt children worldwide. Some restrictions include age, marital status, sexual orientation, and others. For example, China now prohibits children to be adopted by foreigners who are morbidly obese, or have facial deformities. When contemplating an international adoption, one must consider the restrictions imposed by the prospective adoptive country and ensure they meet the qualifications.