Yesterday, December 12, the United States of America signed on to and become a full member of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Hague will be put into affect as of April 1, 2008, and the U.S. will have to follow the Hague's guidelines and procedures with adoptions between the U.S. and other countries that are Hague members.

Those who are against the Hague worry that it will cause significant delays to international adoptions, which already often take a significant period of time. Some worry that the the slower process will also come with a bigger price tag. And while adoptions should not change much between the U.S. and countries that are not members to the Hague, there is a real risk that some countries who signed on to the Hague will not comply with its guidelines, and orphans in those countries will not be able to be adopted by U.S. citizens.

Yet another concern about the Hague is that the guidelines, certifications, procedures, etc. that are required by adoption agencies are very expensive, and the high cost of being "Hague certified" may drive some of the smaller (yet very good) adoption agencies out of business.

Supporters of the Hague believe that the regulation and oversight it will bring to international adoption are much needed because of corruption and unethical practices, and they feel that when the Hague is implemented, adoptions will be more regular, predictable, monitored and ethical.

The Hague requires that each country has a central adoption authority, and in the United States that will be the State Department.

You can hear an interview on National Public Radio with Adam Pertman, the executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, about the U.S. signing on to the Hague by clicking here.

No matter how you feel about the Hague, the U.S. is now officially a part of it. I am anxious to see the impact that the Hague has on international adoptions. I hope that the Hague does lead to more ethical and predictable adoptions, and at the same time I hope that it does not become an unintentional barrier to many orphans finding loving families through international adoption.

* Photo from Liquid Library