Red Tape Hot Box on adoption

Adoption has always been a difficult issue. It's natural that the authorities want to spend ample time to ensure that caring and loving stepparents will raise the child in question. Nevertheless, the investigation of future parents who are ready to adopt a child shouldn't take what can seem like forever.

Unfortunately, it appears that here it takes a great deal of time to get approval to adopt a child - more so than in other countries. I received a letter from one of our American readers about what she and her husband encountered here when they wanted to adopt their son Mark, who was then seven-and-a-half years old. Usually children at this age will rarely find homes here because they are too old. During the adoption proceedings the couple was put through intense scrutiny not only by American authorities (who have very demanding and lengthy requirements comparable to Polish ones), but also by domestic authorities.

While such investigations in adoption matters are necessary, our reader believes that she and her husband had to endure above and beyond what should have been necessary. First, they had to move to Poland for six months, a long period for them since her husband continued to work in the United States. Then, of course, they had to pass countless psychological evaluations since the Polish authorities did not take into consideration the American tests they had already completed. They also had to get numerous opinions from their friends and business associates here and had to wait for months for the adoption to be approved by the courts. All this despite the fact that the result of their psychological evaluations could easily have been verified by the Polish authorities with a few phone calls or letters.

When the courts finally approved the adoption, all they needed then was a passport for Mark. This should be easy, right? Wrong. Our reader found out from the passport office that she and her husband would have to petition the interior ministry for permission for Mark to leave the country before the passport would be issued to him. That would have taken another three months of uncertainty before they could have received approval.

Why can adoption approvals here take up to a year when they can be done in less than a month in countries like China, Russia or Ukraine? Some goodwill and a bit of competence on the part of our government and courts could change the lives of many orphaned children.

Red tape bugging you? Tell Mateusz about it at matdem@poczta.onet.pl.