Russia may halt U.S. adoptions after Tenn. woman returns boy

[Nagishkaw 510]

Russia has halted adoptions by one agency and may suspend all child adoptions by U.S. families after a Tennessee woman sent her 7- year-old adopted son back to Moscow alone, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.

An education official said the government has suspended the World Association for Children and Parents, which had helped a Shelbyville, Tenn., family adopt Artyom Savelyev. He arrived unaccompanied yesterday in Moscow with a note from his adoptive mother, Torry Hansen.

"This child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues," she said in the note, according to RIA Novosti . "I was lied to and misled by the Russian orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability."

Hansen's mother, Nancy, told the Associated Press she bought the boy a one-way ticket and paid a man $200 to pick him up at the Moscow airport and take him to the Russian Education and Science Ministry, which oversees adoptions.

The boy has no other relatives. He was sent to an orphanage in Russia's Far East in September 2008.

RIA Novosti says a Russian family already has asked to adopt him.

The deaths of three Russian children — including a 21-month-old in Virginia who was left in a hot car by his father — already had raised concerns about U.S. adoptions, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that the Tennessee case was "the last straw." He said U.S. adoptions may be suspended until Washington and Moscow sign an agreement.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/04/russia-may-halt-us-adoptions-after-tenn-

Edited April 10, 2010 by Nagishkaw

[alienlovechild 75]

"The boy's adoptive grandmother, Nancy Hansen of Shelbyville, said he was violent and angry with her daughter. She said she flew with the boy to Washington and then put him on a plane to Moscow.

"He drew a picture of our house burning down, and he'll tell anybody that he's going to burn our house down with us in it," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It got to be where you feared for your safety. It was terrible."

"The parents, he told CBS News Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, had "many, many many options The last thing you want do is call a travel agent and send a child back to their country of birth. They could have called their local church. There's plenty of parent support groups, some of which are focused exclusively on children from Eastern Europe, including Russia. There's psychologists, school counselors, social services by the state. They could have called their adoption agency, which has licensed staff to assist in these types of situations. Many, many options."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/10/earlyshow/saturday/main6382642.shtml

The boy has mental problems but the adoptive mother could have had him treated here instead of shoving him on plane home.

Wasn't there a movie made about girl adopted from Russia who terrorizes an American family?

[luckytxn 2,264]

I read this yesterday and was shocked and disheartened. Terrible thing to do.

[Danno 1,228]

I read this yesterday and was shocked and disheartened. Terrible thing to do.

What is terrible, that these adoptive parents might have been grossly misled or that they sent him back?

http://nobodyisforgotten.blogspot.com/2010/04/artem-salvelievartem-justin-hansen.html

[Nagishkaw 510]

Both.

[Darnell 8,478]

This is excellent news. I hope all Russian adoptions get rehomed to BelaRus, now.

[_Simpson_ 250]

There is nothing simple about this case and I have a hard time passing judgment on this lady. I have a cousin that was very violent as a kid and he has never changed. He has been in and out of jail, its been a living hell for my aunt. My aunt tried everything, hes now living in a mental health facility. He had threatened to kill my aunt over the years and she could never let him know where she lived. I have seen first hand how this affects a family so although I dont think this lady tried hard enough I dont feel that people should be so quick to judge this woman.

The good news is that it looks like the boy has been adopted and hopefully his new family doesn't give up on him.

As far as Russia suspending adoption I find that very stupid. Theres a lot of kids that need homes and its the kids that are being punished.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Yes I certainly wouldn't jump to conclusions and tar and feather the adoptive mother. Still I think the ethical thing to do would be to treat the child here...that being said we really don't know the full story yet only what the media has picked up on. I've learned that when it comes to stories like these the "real" situation often is much different than what the media reports.