Danish stop to international adoption is a failure of children currently in orphanages

It is possible to acknowledge that transnational adoption occurs in a world marked by inequality, while at the same time insisting that it can be in the best interests of the child if it is done ethically. Denmark should reopen international adoption

The Danish government's decision to stop international adoption as of January 2024 is a fatal mistake that risks harming orphans who are now left to an uncertain future. Instead of putting the best interests of children at the center, the debate has been about criticizing the mistakes of the past, while today's orphans are overlooked.

Author Maja Lee Langvad , who herself is an adoptee and was recently interviewed by this newspaper in connection with her acceptance of the Montana Literary Prize, wants a permanent end to international adoption, which she believes is an extension of colonial structures. Langvad makes an important point about the price many adoptees have paid to become part of a new country and a new family. But recognizing structural injustice does not mean that international adoption is inherently wrong. Many adoptions have occurred out of genuine need – children who were abandoned, without care or the opportunity to stay in their family of origin – just as many adoptive parents do not act out of a colonial mindset, but out of a desire to give a child love and security. And for many like myself, adoption has been a path to life, opportunity and the support of a family.

Of course, adoptions must be ethically sound, and as an adoptee, I recognize the need for an impartial legal investigation of transnational adoptions to Denmark. Serious mistakes and cases of fraud must be avoided. But stopping transnational adoptions indefinitely fails the children who are currently in orphanages without the prospect of a stable family. My own adoption has been life-changing, and it is deeply concerning that Denmark is now closing its doors to children in the same situation.

International adoption has long been a political hot potato and divided the waters among adoptees. But why do we almost only hear about criticism and negative stories? There are over 20,000 adoptees in Denmark, and hardly everyone believes that adoption is fundamentally wrong or driven by evil intentions. 

It is possible to acknowledge that transnational adoption occurs in a world marked by inequality, while insisting that it can be in the best interests of the child if it is done ethically, transparently and with the child's best interests at heart. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that international adoption may be necessary when other solutions are not available. Yet Denmark has chosen to stop adoptions indefinitely, which risks leaving children in institutions without a future – in direct contradiction to research that shows that orphanages should never be a permanent solution.

Countries like Sweden and Norway have tightened the requirements, but without stopping adoptions. Denmark, on the other hand, is choosing to postpone the process until 2027 – a decision that does not serve the children, but rather leaves them without a future.

Adoption is not about the wishes of the childless, but about the right of children to a family. Children have not chosen to be without parents. If we truly want to act in the best interests of children, Denmark should reopen international adoption and improve the system with stricter controls, better documentation and increased transparency, as our neighboring countries have done. Because right now, children are left without alternatives to an uncertain future.