The ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have been devastating for families of all kinds, including those who have seen their prospective adoptions put on hold
have been devastating for families of all kinds — including those who have seen their prospective adoptions put on hold.
But, the National Council For Adoption made clear in a statement, “this is not the appropriate time or context to be considering adoption by U.S. citizens.” Jessica Pflumm, a stay-at-home mom who runs a smoothie business and has two daughters in the suburbs of Kansas City, is one prospective adoptive parent. She hopes to adopt Maks, a younger teen — Pflumm was reluctant to reveal his exact age because of safety concerns — whom they hosted for four weeks in December and January. Maks is now back in Ukraine, where his orphanage's director has moved him to relatively safety in the country's west.
War, natural disasters and other destabilizing events have a long history of upending intercountry adoptions. And Ukraine is a big piece of the international adoption puzzle, Hanlon said.