U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) issued a joint statement condemning the Chinese government’s recent decision to halt foreign adoptions, which has left approximately 300 American families in uncertainty.
Many of these families, including those in Florida, have already been matched with Chinese children awaiting adoption.
“Under Xi Jinping’s authoritarian regime, China has stopped allowing foreign adoptions. This decision has created significant challenges for many American families, including those in our home state of Florida, who are left in limbo after being matched with their adoptive children. These are selfless American families who seek to provide loving homes for Chinese American adoptees, including many with medical needs. We urge the Chinese regime to reconsider its position and allow these families to unite with their adoptive children once and for all,” said the lawmakers.
The ban has drawn significant backlash, particularly from American families who have invested years into the adoption process and now face uncertainty about the future.
Many of these prospective adoptive children have special medical needs, increasing the urgency for families awaiting finalization of their adoption.
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The U.S. State Department has expressed concern about the impact of this decision on American families.
“We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoptions and we sympathize with their situation,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We strive to provide prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) and adoption service providers (ASPs) with accurate information. The Office of Children’s Issues will update adoption service providers when we have additional information.”
The State Department is actively engaging with Chinese authorities to understand the reasons behind this policy change and to seek clarification on its implications for pending adoption cases.
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This sudden halt to foreign adoptions comes after a significant decline in the number of children adopted from China in recent years.
Only 16 adoptions were finalized in 2023, a stark contrast to the thousands of adoptions that took place annually between 2008 and 2016.
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