Babies Online - The Blog

Another high profile adoption case, another celebrity runs into adoption problems due to certain legislation. This time it’s the British rock singer songwriter Elton John who is having problems. John met 14-month old Lev during an AIDS charity foundation trip in the Ukraine. While visiting an orphanage specially set up for HIV- positive children John fell in love with the boy and decided to adopt him. Unfortunately, according to Ukrainian law, John is not eligible to be an adoptive parent. As we know, John is not the first celebrity to run into problems when it comes to adoption.

So what are the reasons that could stand in the way of adoption?

Parental consent

Lev is not an orphan. His mom Marina is a still alive but was deemed incapable of taking care of her and another older sibling because she, too, is HIV positive and has an alcohol problem. Marina declares she is determined to get her life together and get Lev back.

Madonna’s first adoptive child David also wasn’t an orphan. He still has a father who unfortunately, couldn’t, provide for him. The pop star was severely criticized for taking the boy away from his family and homeland.

Marital status

It is not Lev’s mom that stands in the way of John’s adoption plans. It’s his marital status.  Adoptive parents must be married. John is married to his partner David Furnish. Ukrainian law, however, doesn’t recognize same sex marriages.

The Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin reportedly also considered adoption but resorted to surrogacy to avoid the legal hassles due to his single status. Martin is the father of fraternal twin boys Mateo and Valentino.

In fact, many countries do not consider single parents, male or female.

Age

In addition to his unacceptable married status, Ukrainian officials also think John is too old (he is 62) to be an adoptive father. The maximum age limit for adoption in the country is reported to be 45. In some countries it is 60. If there is a maximum age limit, there is also a minimum age limit. In many countries, people under the age of 35 are not eligible to adopt.

Residency

Many countries only allow residents to adopt. Madonna made headlines earlier this year in her efforts to adopt 3-year old Mercy from Malawi. She was denied the right to adopt due to her non-residency status. She eventually won after an appeal.

Health status

Many countries also consider health status of adoptive parents (local or foreign) a major criterion for giving approval. There have been cases of court rulings against adoptive parents who are overweight or obese. A complete medical history may be required from prospective parents.

Other criteria

Aside from the aforementioned criteria, criminal records, financial status, and psychological readiness are also taken into consideration. Rightly so, for the welfare of the adoptive child.

What are the options?

Some celebrities may opt for surrogacy. Other Rumors have it that John and Furnish are considering adopting a child from another country with less restrictions but this still has to be confirmed.

It is advisable for those who plan to adopt to check the adoption laws, whether locally or foreign, before making a decision. This will avoid legal hassles, disappointment, or even heart break.

Read More

• An Interview With a Surrogate
• Older Daddies
• Madonna welcomes 3-year-old Mercy in London
• Actress Nia Vardalos Talks About Her Adopted Daughter
• West Virginia mom arrested for trying to sell 5-month old boy

Posted by Science-mom on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under Adoption, Celebrities.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: Adoption, advance paternal age, Elton John, marital status
Posted in: Adoption, Celebrities