Thousands of families choose to adopt children from other nations into their homes in order to give them the childhood and family that they deserve. Yet for those who have been working to secure an adoption of a Russian child, the entire process has been put on halt. Russian leader Vladimir Putin recently declared that the country would ban all adoptions of Russian children into United States families. This shut down the process for a large amount of adoptive families who were hoping to welcome an orphan into their family. According to the United States State Department, there are 46 families in America who have already met their prospective adoptive children and were waiting for the green light to go to Russia and pick up their young one. They are now all waiting to see if the country will permit them to travel.

In the past, as many as 60,000 Russian children have been adopted into American families. IN 2011 alone, Americans adopted 970 Russian children. It is the third most popular country for adoptions after China and Ethiopia. Most adoptions in the United States are still domestic. In 2011, there were about 17,400 total international adoptions to the United States, but there were 136,000 domestic adoptions, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau. Now, Americans are not certain whether there will be any more adoptions coming from this large country with so many orphaned children in need. Many agencies are still trying to work with their adopting families to push for finalized adoptions. They don’t believe that it is fair that these families who have already met the child that they hope to welcome into their home are now being told that they cannot be with the young ones that they love.

One family, the Johnstons, told CNN News that they have already submitted their dossier to a Russian court and have no idea whether or not they will be able to take their beloved potential-adoptee, Anastasia, home to the states. The family says that Anastasia is a 4-year-old HIV-positive orphan that they want desperately to invite into their lives. The Johnstons already have another 4-year-old little boy from Ethiopia and two biological children. In order to adopt a special needs child, the Johnstons had to undergo about 90 hours of online and classroom training on cultural awareness and take classes on how to raise a special needs child.

After completing training, the Johnston’s travelled to Moscow where they were given an information packet with Anastasia’s picture. They accepted the referral and then drove to the children’s home where they first saw their future daughter. While she seemed shy and unreserved at first, the Johnston’s say that when a nurse explained that this family was going to take Anastasia home, she blushed and smiled. For thousands of orphans like Anastasia, this new ban may become a blockade which will keep them from ever getting adopted. The ban on U.S. adoptions is an action in retaliation to the U.S. sanctions, and is more political than out of concern for the children that were being adopted out.

While the Russian government has led people to believe that they will finalize all pending adoptions, there is still no certain proof that this will happen. As well, many American families are simply waiting for a green light to see if they can take their children home. Some families are still in Russia and are trying to get documents signed so that they can take their loved ones home. If you have been involved in a tricky situation like this one, then you need to contact a family law attorney to help you today. Whether you are dealing with a domestic or international adoption, a reliable attorney may be able to help you!