Donald Trump’s presidency has the potential to drastically change both domestic and international adoptions from their current state. Due to his budding relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his party’s stance on LGBT rights a Trump presidency can have high implications for those looking to adopt.
Back in 2012, the Kremlin banned American families from adopting Russian children in what many say was a plot to retaliate against Obama’s Magnitsky Act. Under this act,the American government restricted a high number of Russian officials from entering the U.S. because they were allegedly involved in human rights abuses in their own country.
The Russian government reports that their adoption law was created in response to the 2008 death of an adopted Russian child while in the care of his American family.
However, now that Trump will become president, the Russians are hoping to possibly reinstate their relationship and restart talks to overturn this controversial law. Russia’s children’s ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova said to a presidential council meeting last week that with Trump as president, the chances now of returning to the negotiating table were significantly higher.
“A new trend towards resuming dialogue [with Washington] has already appeared. We are waiting for the new U.S. administration to be ready for a meeting,” Kuznetsova said, as reported on the International Business Times.
Not only will a Trump presidency impact international adoptions, but America’s LGBT community, too, as the group is concerned over their rights to adopt.
While Trump has been known to make pro-LGBT statements on the campaign trail, his Vice President is staunchly against gay marriage. With their election, many gay parents across the nation are worried their parental rights will be in jeopardy, especially if they are the non-biological parent of the children they are raising.
With the possibility of Trump appointing a Republican Supreme Court Justice drawing near, some couples are worried their right to be married and co-parent a child will soon be overturned as the Republican Justices can make it difficult for gay couples nationwide. Consequently, experts advise gay couples to go to lengths to ensure each parent adopts their children if their names are not on the child’s birth certificate.
For perspective, in the U.S., 38% are private domestic adoptions, 37% are Foster Care adoptions, and the other 25% are international adoptions.