Cantwell and Bipartisan, Bicameral Group of Lawmakers Work to Reunite U.S. Families & Their Adopted Children

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), along with 122 Members of Congress, urged the Prime Minister of Ethiopia to reconsider his April 21st decision to suspend international adoptions. The order has left more than 200 U.S. families, and the Ethiopian children they are trying to bring home, in a heartbreaking limbo.

In a bipartisan - and bicameral - letter to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Cantwell, 47 of her Senate colleagues, and 75 members of the House of Representatives said: "While we respect your government's decisions regarding future adoption policy in Ethiopia, we ask for your help in resolving expeditiously cases that were already underway on April 21. We are concerned that a failure to work with us to help these children join their adoptive families could have a negative impact on the relationship between our two governments."

The group of lawmakers is particularly concerned about approximately 30 adoptions that have already been finalized but, because of the order, the parents are unable to obtain the final paperwork, or "vitals", necessary to bring their legally-adopted children home. The government of Ethiopia has provided the adoptive parents no legal justification for the delays, which have had an adverse effect on the children: "In many cases, children and families have already initiated the emotional bonding and attachment process. We fear breaking these attachments by delaying these adoptions may be detrimental to the children and adoptive families involved. Our constituents want to provide loving, safe families to those in need and simply wish to bring their adopted children home in a timely fashion and in accordance with the law."

The letter was led by Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and the co-chairs of the Senate's Adoption Caucus, Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), as well as Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI).

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