Buckner international adoption rate stable while others drop

DALLAS—International adoptions through Buckner International remain constant while international adoptions worldwide have fallen to their lowest numbers since 1996.

Worldwide, international adoptions topped out at about 45,000 in 2004, the Associated Press reported. Last year, 25,000 international adoptions occurred. United States parents adopting internationally declined more than 60 percent from 2004, to just more than 9,000.

Bucking the trend, Buckner and its affiliated agency Dillon International facilitated about 100 international adoptions last year—about the same as in recent years, said Debbie Wynne, who leads the Texas office that handles Buckner's international adoptions.

The decline in international adoptions worldwide can be pinned on a number of factors, Wynne said, most notably countries being more protective of their children—particularly extremely young children—and countries encouraging domestic adoption.

Buckner has been affected less by those efforts because it often facilitates the adoption of older children, Wynne said. Fewer people are trying to adopt older children, making them easier to adopt. By an adult adopting a child through Buckner, countries are finding homes for children who otherwise may grow up in an orphanage, and Buckner continues its mission of finding families for children in need.

"The greatest need is to help these kids who are the forgotten ones," she said.

Although the number of adoptions hasn't changed for Buckner, navigating the international adoption waters is a continuous challenge. Rules change regularly as governments adopt new policies. Media coverage of bad international adoption experiences has pushed countries like Russia to rework its system of adoption.

Buckner formerly facilitated adoptions of children from Guatemala, but the organization had to end the program when the United States stopped all adoptions from the country.

Ultimately, nations are doing what they can to protect children, Wynne said. As they do that, Buckner officials continue seeking ways to connect families with children in need.

"These countries do care about their children, and they want to make sure there are safeguards to protect their children," she said.

Wynne believes it still is critical that people do everything they can to make sure children have loving homes.

"It's important for us not to forget that there are many places around the world that their last hope for a family is international adoption," she said.