VOA标准英语2010-Russian Adoption Scandal Shocks US Parent

The scandal also angered Russian officials and prompted the Kremlin to freeze further U.S. adoptions² of Russian children.

Elizabeth Lee | Washington 24 April 2010
 

Russian boy Artyom Savelyev, 7, who was sent back to Moscow by his adoptive American mother

After an American mother sent her seven-year-old adopted son back to Russia, Moscow said it was suspending adoptions to US families. A high level delegation³ from the U.S. State Department is scheduled to meet with Russian officials in Moscow on April 29 and 30. The officials will talk about how to better protect children and all parties involved in international adoptions.

For the moment though, many American families who have applied⁴ to adopt a Russian child worry about whether their adoption¹ process will continue.

Anna Warnke is officially 17. But beyond these birthday presents, there's another reason why this day is so special. Anna's birthday is also the day she became Christine Warnke's daughter.

"I just remembered her coming out with her blue shoes and her red and black checkered⁵ dress and she just reached out her arms and just jumped into my arms and embraced my brother and we were a family at that moment," said her adoptive mother.

Warnke adopted Anna from Russia and brought her home to Washington on her third birthday. Warnke then returned to Russia and adopted John. He was two years old.

Anna and John both say they are fortunate to be part of the Warnke family. "You're very loved actually," said Anna. "I love and trust most of my family."

Recently an American mother sent her adopted child back to Russia, claiming the orphanage⁶ failed to disclose that the boy had serious psychological problems.

The Warnkes were shocked that she sent the boy back.  "I mean sending him back made me grind my teeth. It really made me angry," said John Warnkes.

The scandal also angered Russian officials and prompted the Kremlin to freeze further U.S. adoptions of Russian children.

But the State Department says it has received no official notice that adoptions have been suspended.

The confusion worries Americans in the process of adopting a Russian child. Betsy Lowry is one of them. She frequently calls her adoption agency for updates. So  far, her application is still on track. "You heart is just kind of stuck in your throat all the time. You feel like you have absolutely no control," said Lowry.

While she waits for a match with a child, Lowry has been online with local families who have adopted or are in the process of adopting children from Russia.

She says with a support group nearby, she's prepared to handle anything unexpected. "I think a lot of us recognize that there will be trauma⁷ and there will be a lot of challenges many we can't predict," she said.

Experts say children adopted from Eastern Europe are more prone⁸ to physical, behavioral and cognitive⁹ problems. The reasons could include living in an orphanage more than six months and having a birth mother who heavily consumed alcohol during pregnancy¹⁰.

Lowry, like many Americans, chose Russia because single parent adoptions are allowed and the process only takes about a year. Mark Eckman of the Datz Foundation Adoption Agency says Russian adoptions are changing. "We're mainly now on a downward trend so that each year the number of children adopted from Russia decreases," he said.

Eckman says in recent years, Russia has encouraged domestic adoptions, leaving fewer children for foreigners.

Prospective¹¹ parents outside Russia generally spend up to a week - in Russia - getting to know the child before making a decision. 

The director of Moscow City Orphanage #11, Lidia Sliusareva, says officials release medical information about the child to prospective parents.

"We try to share as much information as possible so they understand what the child is like, how does he behave, how does he communicate, what are his emotions, what does he like, what does he not like," she said. 

But once a child leaves Russia, there is no way to know how that child is doing.

Pavel Astakhov is Russia's Investigator¹² of Children's Rights. "We cannot check the future situation of our children who are now in the American families, even if children are in dangerous situation," he said.

Russian and U.S. officials plan to meet on how to better protect children once they leave the orphanage. 

Like Christine Warnke, those who have successfully adopted children from Russia say the key is a network of experts, friends and family to help overcome any unexpected challenges.

 

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 checkered   

adj.有方格图案的

参考例句：

• The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
• He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。

6 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

7 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

8 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

9 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

10 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

11 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

12 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。