Stratham woman among those shut out of Romanian adoption

STRATHAM—Rep. Jeb Bradley, in response to an article in today's Bucharest (Romania) Daily News, said that he's extremely disappointed with that government's failure to approve pending international adoptions.

He added, however, that he had not received official confirmation of the denial.

Several of the adoptions have involved New Hampshire families including Allyson Schaaf of Stratham, who in 2002 began the process to adopt Natasha, a Romanian orphan.

Bradley, Schaaf and others including members of the Windham, N.H.-based group Nobody's Children have lobbied Romania's president and other high-ranking officials to approve some 200 adoptions by American families.

Today the Bucharest newspaper says authorities will not approve the 1,100 international adoption requests received the past four years.

"Our decision is final and clear: none of the 1,100 children will be adopted by foreign families, as we will find the proper solutions to protect them, in accordance with the Romanian legislation," Romania Secretary of State Theodora Bertzi says in the newspaper.

Bradley said in an interview Wednesday that he has worked long and hard to persuade Romania to allow their orphans to go to loving homes in America.

The congressman has tried denying the country funding from the United States and moral persuasion, he said. In addition, Bradley was told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would address the topic with Romanian officials during a stop there earlier this week.

"Sometimes, you run into a wall," Bradley said.

The congressman said pressure to end adoptions was applied on Romania by the European Union after reports of baby selling in the eastern European country. The past several months it has become increasingly difficult for adoption advocates to gain approval, despite promises to the contrary from that country's president.

Romania, seeking membership to the European Union, ordered a moratorium on international adoptions in 2001 and last January a new law took effect there restricting international adoptions.

Bradley said pressure came in large part from former European Union Rapporteur Baroness Emma Nicholson of England. The baroness has characterized loving families as trafficking in children, he said.

"Quite frankly, she doesn't know what she is talking about," he said. The adoptive parents have sought to rescue orphans from deplorable conditions in institutions or homes, he said.

Schaaf, along with her husband, Michael, adopted a Romanian boy, Iain, in 2000 and he lives with them. Schaaf said in an interview Wednesday that she refuses to give up hope of being united with Natasha, now 4 and believed to be living in a Romanian group home with other orphans..

In March, Romanian President Basescu promised Bradley, Schaaf and other parents that the pending adoptions would be approved, she and Bradley said.

"He said 'trust me,'" Schaaf said. later adding, "The world needs to know President Basescu is a man of his word."

The Stratham mother said that not an hour goes by without her thinking about Natasha. Schaaf wonders: "Is she safe" Is she healthy? Is she happy?."

Elaine MacEwen-Yourtee of the advocacy group Nobody's Children said in an interview this morning that she has seen the Bucharest newspaper story but is still holding out hope that it is not true and yet to receive governmental confirmation.

As of last night no official word of the denial had been given by the Romanian government to the US government, she said.

"This is very important," she said. Nobody's Children sponsors a group home for orphans in Romania. "I'm watching the situation very carefully," MacEwen said.