New law on adoption is in the best interests of children, Valentina Buliga

The law on the legal status of adoption passed on May 28 removes the contradictions and shortcomings existing in the field, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga told a news conference on June 8, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We laid emphasis on the quality, not quantity,” said the minister. According to her, the adopted children have the right to know they were adopted, but this can happen when they come of age. This is stipulated in the new law. If the child is adopted before he turns ten, he will bear the name of the adoptive parents. If the child is older, he will decide by himself whether to keep his old name or take the name of the new family. “The new law is in the best interests of children,” Valentina Buliga stressed. “We did not aim to simplify the regulation of adoption, but to make it clearer,” said the head of the Division for the Protection of Child and Family Rights Viorica Dumbraveanu. The law on the legal status of adoption will take effect six months after it is published in the Official Gazette. The persons who apply to adopt a child must be older than 25 and at least 18 years and at most 48 years older than the child they want to adopt. The foreigners will be allowed to adopt Moldovan children only if they ensure conditions and guarantees similar to the ones provided in Moldova. A consultative council will be set up to monitor the intercountry adoption. The number of children adopted in the country fell from 230 in 2006 to 184 in 2009, while of those adopted by foreigners halved. In 2009, 19 Moldovan children were adopted by Italian couples, five by Americans, by two by Spanish and Swiss couples, while one by Germans.