This petition is specifically for the families that are currently in the international adoption process and are banned from traveling and meeting and bringing their children home, due to the current global travel ban (COVID-19). Please sign this petition if you are a family directly affected by this travel ban, or if you know a family that is, and have been halted in the process. Many families had their paperwork ready to be sent and that paperwork is still sitting on the office’s desk, collecting dust, documents expiring. Many families were within DAYS of traveling to meet their child when the travel ban was enacted. And these families are being given no direction, no answers, no guidance on the foreseeable future of global travel. Our hope is that by signing this petition, the governmental powers that be would have a productive round table discussion about how restricting global travel is extremely detrimental to the orphaned children living in institutions all around the world. And ultimately, families that have spent countless hours on paperwork and thousands of dollars investing in the adoption process, they are now forced to place their lives on hold when their whole goal was to solve a real-world problem: CHILDREN DO NOT BELONG IN INSTITUTIONS! For every month spent in an institution, the global development of the child (physical, mental, emotional, speech, etc.) is severely delayed. Many of these children do not receive proper medical care, including medications and / or adequate nutrition to help the body and mind grow appropriately. See articles for scientific evidence:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846096/#idm140687971016224title

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4130248/#idm140454196166256title

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/neglect

Adoptive families have followed all the rules and laws, jumping through countless hoops, all for the sake of seeing children be given love and nurturing, basic human rights!

Some suggested ideas to help adoptive families travel safely and bring their children home: 1) Have all families travel to one hotel in the foreign country, the caregivers bring the children to the hotel (after being medically evaluated), complete all the necessary legal paperwork, stay in the hotel for the duration of the trip (quarantine - no sightseeing), and leave within a few days (as compared to staying weeks); 2) Do this same procedure in an airport (that has a hotel attached or nearby), 3) Complete as much adoption paperwork as necessary through online means (digital signatures), travel to the country to meet the child and then bring home the child. And then quarantine at home for the duration required...There are other ways to make this possible, and adoptive families are more than willing to be an active part of the discussion, along with US adoption agencies that also facilitate international adoptions. Invite their voices into your meetings, let them share what adoption has brought to their lives, and how these beautiful children have enriched and enhanced their families!

As mentioned earlier, adoptive families are accustomed to following many rules - we are more than willing to wear masks, gloves, full body armor, temps routinely taken, quarantine...all for the sake of giving a child in need the respect and honor they deserve as a living human being. It is very difficult to keep emotions out of this plea, considering there are innocent, parentless children involved. And residing in an over-crowded, understaffed institution for the foreseeable future is not okay with us, and should not be for the policymakers, either. (There are many foreign institutions that care deeply about their children and do a wonderful job. But this still does NOT = the love and connection a family can offer the child.)

To the governmental offices that may see this petition (US Department of State, State Senators, Congressman, President, legislators, policy makers): Hear our cries for justice! We are not willing to continue to be placed on the back burner for this cause. Please immediately put this issue at the top of your round table discussions, contact the global governmental offices presiding over the care of their orphaned children, and make an exception to the global travel ban to allow US adoptive families to cross the oceans to meet and take home their children! Children belong in families!