Senators Young, Klobuchar, and Blunt Lead Bicameral, Bipartisan Letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister on Adoptions

51 Senators and 61 Members of the House of Representatives Call on Ethiopia to Permit Completion of More Than 200 Adoptions 

Members: Failure to Permit Completion of “adoption processes will impose additional suffering on these children.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan, bicameral group of Senators today urged the Prime Minister of Ethiopia to honor more than 200 adoptions with American families that have been halted by the Ethiopian government. The letter, led by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), which was signed by 112 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, encouraged Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to lift newly placed restrictions on pending adoptions. 

“There are more than 200 cases in which American families have pending adoptions in various phases of completion,” the Senators wrote. “We believe that Ethiopia’s pursuit of new adoption legislation must not prevent children who have already been matched with adoptive families from having the opportunity to complete their adoptions according to the law under which they were initiated.”

In May, Senator Young and the co-chairs of the Senate’s Adoption Caucus, Senators Klobuchar and Blunt, as well as Representatives Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), led a letter signed by 122 members of Congress to Prime Minister Desalegn urging the nation to reconsider its decision to halt international adoptions. Their action helped unite dozens of families whose adoptions had been finalized but the children were not being allowed to leave the country. Today’s letter seeks to help the remaining children and their waiting American families that have been left in limbo.

“Thanks to your government’s cooperation, many children have been united with loving adoptive families,” the letter states. “With gratitude for your previous efforts, we seek your continued assistance with the remaining cases in which American families have pending adoptions in various phases of completion.”

The complete text of the letter can be viewed here and below. 

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn,

We write to express our gratitude for the actions your government has taken in response to our letter on May 26, 2017, regarding intercountry adoptions. Thanks to your government’s cooperation, many children have been united with loving adoptive families. With gratitude for your previous efforts, we seek your continued assistance with the remaining cases in which American families have pending adoptions in various phases of completion. We feel strongly that any case involving an Ethiopian child matched with an adoptive family should be allowed to continue to completion under the Revised Family Code of 2000. With expeditious resolution of this issue, it is our hope that the bilateral relationship between our two countries can deepen further.  

We continue to understand the Ethiopian government’s decision regarding future adoption policy. However, according to the U.S. Department of State, there are more than 200 cases in which American families have pending adoptions in various phases of completion. We believe that Ethiopia’s pursuit of new adoption legislation must not prevent children who have already been matched with adoptive families from having the opportunity to complete their adoptions according to the law under which they were initiated. 

We share your government’s concern for the security and welfare of children. Children often form important emotional bonds with the adoptive families with whom they have been “matched.” We fear that failing to allow these prospective adoptive parents to complete their adoption processes will impose additional suffering on these children. This is why we remain resolute in our desire to work with you to resolve this situation.

Thank you for your continued attention to this important matter. Our two governments have demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively on a variety of issues. We hope that this issue continues to be among them. We trust that you will work closely with the Department of State to establish a way to unite these children with their adoptive families.