Defenders of children's rights say national adoption should be given priority

The law must guarantee the right to be adopted for every child, not only the sick ones, consider experts that work on a new law on the legal status of adoption in Moldova. They told Info-Prim Neo it is the national adoption not the international one that should be given priority. “No foreign state or family will take care of the Moldovan children as they should,” said the head of the Human Rights Center in Causeni Ion Oboroceanu. He stressed the necessity of clearly defining the adoption-related responsibilities, starting with the maternity hospitals and ending with the courts that take the final decision, so as to avoid situations when the public institutions shift responsibility onto each other. Ombudswoman for chidlren's rights protection Tamara Plamadeala spoke about the difficult adoption procedure, underlining it should be simplified by reducing the number of documents that must be presented by the adopters. Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said the future law should offer chances to more orphans to grow up in Moldovan adoptive families. The bill is being drafted by the parliamentary commission for social protection, health and family in concert with national and international experts. In December 2008, the Parliament passed a law that regulates the adoption procedure in Moldova. The President did not promulgate it, arguing the law contains conceptual, technical and legislative shortcomings.