"Mother" send adopted child back to Russia

Olive
By Olive

I use the term "Mother" lightly.

Russian president's fury over 'monstrous' rejection of boy, 7, by American adoptive mother

By Will Stewart and Paul Thompson
Last updated at 1:14 AM on 12th April 2010

The treatment of a young Russian boy rejected by his American adoptive mother has been described as a 'monstrous deed' by Russia's president.

Dmitry Medvedev said he was 'alarmed' by the case of sevenyearold Artem Saveliev, which has threatened to cause a diplomatic row with the U.S.

Artem was sent back to Moscow alone by his adoptive mother Torry Hansen with a note saying she no longer wanted him because of his violent behaviour.

Hansen, 26, said Artem had severe psychological issues that were never mentioned when she adopted him in September from an orphanage in Vladivostok.

Mr Medvedev said Artem 'fell into a very bad family'.

His comments were made to the Good Morning America breakfast show and extracts of the interview were released today.

Medvedev said: 'It is a monstrous deed on the part of his adoptive parents, to take the kid and virtually throw him out with the airplane in the opposite direction and to say, "I'm sorry I could not cope with it, take everything back" is not only immoral but also against the law.'

Meanwhile, friends and family of Hansen, a nurse, have defended her decision to remove the boy from her home in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Her mother Nancy claimed he had a list of problems that included threatening to burn down the house and spitting and screaming at his adoptive mother if he did not get his way.

Family members alleged the final straw came when Artem, who was given the U.S. name of Justin, picked up a statue and threatened to hit his aunt after he was asked to correct some homework.

'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,' said Hansen's mother.

'It got to be where you feared for your safety. It was terrible.'

Neighbours in the rural town of 20,000 said Hansen was a loving mother who found she could not cope with a violent child.

Linda Austin said: 'We knew there were problems but she tried her best. I think she is getting the raw end of the deal.'

Another neighbour added: 'Torry desperately wanted a child of her own, but she just found this boy uncontrollable.'

The adoption experience is eerily similar to a recent Hollywood film called 'Orphan'.

In the film a U.S. couple adopt an eastern European girl only to discover her violent tendencies.

Artem arrived in Moscow last Thursday with a note that read: 'After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends, and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child.'

Officials in Tennessee said the boy had not been issued a U.S. passport which meant the adoption had not been formalised.

Bob Tuke, a Nashville lawyer and member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, said abandonment charges against the family could depend on whether the boy was a U.S. citizen.

A Tennessee health department spokeswoman said there was no birth certificate issued for the boy, a step that would indicate he had become a U.S. citizen.

Hansen, who has gone into hiding, has agreed to meet with local police.

Shelbyville Sheriff Randall Boyce said it was not clear whether any laws had been broken.

'This is extremely unusual,' Boyce said. 'I don't think anyone has seen something like this before.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1265192/Russian-presid...

By Alumnar• 16 Apr 2010 17:44
Alumnar

... that the 'mother' couldn't board the plane to take the child back herself. If she did nothing wrong she should not be afraid of facing the reaction on the other side whilst 'returning' the child as if it is a mere possession bought under warranty.

She should not be allowed to adopt - ever again!!

By Olive• 16 Apr 2010 12:25
Olive

Way to hijack the thread Ahmed. :P

By deepb• 15 Apr 2010 14:57
deepb

Ahmad hi-jacked this thread..... Rizks and Pajju are influencing him also.

By drmana• 15 Apr 2010 14:20
drmana

and I thought WK inspired ahmad to post nonsense jokes:-P

By anonymous• 15 Apr 2010 14:17
anonymous

See ahmad now you know that you are being watched over by me. I knew what you were testing :D

By drmana• 15 Apr 2010 14:16
drmana

oh! I got 1 point...yipeeee.......weekends going to be a great one. Thanks Ahmad:-)

By somwerNdmiddle• 15 Apr 2010 14:16
somwerNdmiddle

works for me drmana. try loggin out then log in again :)

By drmana• 15 Apr 2010 14:15
drmana

points working? where? Mine is stuck at the same since a week:-( Not a nice joke.....

By GodFather.• 15 Apr 2010 14:14
GodFather.

Yep the points are back Ahmad..well done..

By anonymous• 15 Apr 2010 14:13
anonymous

Ahmad.......your sense of humour is amazing

By somwerNdmiddle• 15 Apr 2010 14:12
somwerNdmiddle

it is working!

By ahmad• 15 Apr 2010 14:12
ahmad

I was just checking the user points. They are working now.

By ahmad• 15 Apr 2010 14:11
ahmad

Another test comment.

By anonymous• 15 Apr 2010 14:11
anonymous

He was testing whether the point count is working again.

By drmana• 15 Apr 2010 14:08
drmana

ahmad, you still testing???? That means QL still not done with its maintenance :-(

By Deal_4_wHeel• 15 Apr 2010 14:06
Deal_4_wHeel

what are you tasting..:b

By anonymous• 15 Apr 2010 14:04
anonymous

I am surprised that people are talking in such unkind ways. No seven year old in this world is incurable psychopath. Children at that age can easily be moulded psychologically and culturally. No matter where on the earth they come from.

As somebody rightly pointed out that there should be strict criterion for adopting parents as some of them may be mentally incapable for parental role and the real issue lies here.

There are many Indian kids who are adopted and then rejected by foreign parents and spend miserable lives in orphanages as there real parents are not traceable because of faulty paperwork. Some of these kids are used for criminal activities too and then abandoned.

However, this is fully and completely the fault of those countries who allow their children to be adopted by incompetent / criminal guardians.

Do not turn a blind to the plight of a seven year old because of his nationality. Fear the lord.

By Olive• 15 Apr 2010 13:14
Olive

They suspended adoptions as soon as the child was sent back WK.

I agree QS that she should have spent more time with him before adopting, but he was living in her house as her child for over 6 months. I just wonder, what if he developed a problem after she got him home, like cancer, or depression (common for older adoptees), would she still have sent him back on the first plane with a note saying "This isn't what I ordered"

By nomerci• 15 Apr 2010 13:12
nomerci

Very sad. I am sure there are plenty of wonderful and able people who want to and have adopted children out of the misery of

Russian orphanages.

Now those poor souls have even less chances of a good life.

By anonymous• 15 Apr 2010 13:04
anonymous

And now Russia suspends adoptions to US

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8621896.stm

By qatarisun• 14 Apr 2010 09:42
qatarisun

Olive.. depends on what issues they have... some kids are not violent, they just need psychological help to overcome their psychological trauma, and they get this help gratefully. Some kids are just untethered. It is like a mentally sick person. You cannot do anything about it, but suffering to the rest of his (or your) life...

I mean to spend more time before taking the child home.. To visit him/her at orphanage, to take a kid for a walk, to the movies, for the shopping.. like a "dating" before "marriage". This should be a normal practice. We are not getting married for sake of marriage, right? we choose our life partner cafully, by dating, by getting knowing each other. Why potential parents have to adopt a child only based on papers and his photo? Mom has to LOVE her child, right? It should be mutual contact.. Otherwise it wil never work..

By qatarisun• 14 Apr 2010 09:29
qatarisun

I am not sure why she has gone so far, till Vladivostok in the first place, which is the most Far Eastern city in Russia. Why not to adopt from more civilized places of Russia?

also, onether thought.. may be it is (sadly) cheaper..

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 09:24
Olive

Obviously her decision wasn't final. If she was any kind of a real "Mom" she would have found this boy the help he needed, regardless of his issues. Lots of couples adopt children with issues and manage to stick it out and get the kids help. This Mom took and easy and stupid cop out.

By qatarisun• 14 Apr 2010 09:20
qatarisun

well, i kindda understand this poor mom.. russian kids, espacially boys, might be extremely violant...children who are abandoned by their parents and who are raised in orphanages are miserable. They are clearly lack of love, care, tenderness and caress. They are kept in hardship. Orphanages in such remote areas as Vladivostok don’t receive enough funds to keep up with their needs. They are miserably poor. Many guys from the orphanages become criminals, girls become prostitutes. Many of them have mental disorders as their biological parents are usually alcoholics…

Really sad, but again, I kind of believe this 'failed' mom.. they might be very dengerous..

One should be more careful while adopting a child. It is recommended to spend significant time with the child before making such important final decision.

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 08:53
Olive

Because adoption lists for private adoptions in the states are a minimum of 7 years long, and for any less you usually have to adopt older children (and more than likely a minority child) who have all kinds of issues.

Russia & China offer parents a quick & easy adoption route for infants.

Not sure why this mother went to Russia for a 6 year old....unless she was dead set on having a white child.

By GodFather.• 14 Apr 2010 08:50
GodFather.

cheers olive for the link..:)

By GodFather.• 14 Apr 2010 08:50
GodFather.

Still don't understand why adopt from another country, which has different lanaguage culture, when there are so many American kids in Foster homes waiting for adoption..!

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 08:31
Olive

Sorry Uk, I posted a link from CNN yesterday as well, I'm just trying to find it again. Here's one from ABC, which says that the boy has shown NO violent tendancies and in fact has bruises and cuts on him:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/adopted-boy-back-russia-sign-mental-issues-problems-officials/story?id=10349424

By GodFather.• 14 Apr 2010 08:27
GodFather.

OK now you mentioned Dailymail, I know where to get the details from..

He was violent?

By Colt45• 14 Apr 2010 08:24
Colt45

I wonder what she would have done if it were her own biological kid?

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 08:24
Olive

Well it's the dailymail. Here's an excerpt from CNN:

"But last week Miss Hansen and her mother, Nancy, claimed that they did not technically abandon Artyom. Nancy Hansen said the seven-year-old boy was watched by an air stewardess during the 10-hour flight to Moscow. She added that the family paid a Moscow man they found online to deliver Artyom to the Russian ministry of education."

So they did have the name of someone collecting the boy. Some guy they found on the internet. Lovely.

By s_isale• 14 Apr 2010 08:22
s_isale

cannot understand why these newspapers publish half-baked stories..

to get cheap sales?

By GodFather.• 14 Apr 2010 08:17
GodFather.

But how did the Airline accept him to travel alone, Did she sent him as an UM (unaccompanied minor) , but for that she needed the name of the person collecting the child? Seems a bit fishy the details of the story!

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 08:14
Olive

Yup UK, with a note saying to take him to child services.

By s_isale• 14 Apr 2010 08:14
s_isale

was the flight empty?

By GodFather.• 14 Apr 2010 08:12
GodFather.

Sent him back alone?

By Colt45• 14 Apr 2010 08:10
Colt45

Da - Thank God I didn't end that word with the letter "u"... lol...

FS - I have improved much ;-)

By DaRuDe• 14 Apr 2010 08:08
DaRuDe

your word gaaand is way too much offensive

wait let me flag you when it gets back online

By Formatted Soul• 14 Apr 2010 08:08
Formatted Soul

colt is that hindi? I know your hindi Suxs..lol

By Olive• 14 Apr 2010 08:07
Olive

Oh well, guess we could start commenting again. :S

By Colt45• 14 Apr 2010 08:06
Colt45

"Gaand" with the wind ;-)

By mjamille28• 14 Apr 2010 08:06
mjamille28

FS, same thing happened to most threads yesterday.. you open them, and find no comments.. some threads have been restored with the comments, though..

By Formatted Soul• 14 Apr 2010 08:04
Formatted Soul

where are the comments posted yesterday??

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