BALTIMORE — After more than 75 years helping form families through international adoption, Catholic Charities of Baltimore has closed its international adoption program.
The agency cited changing circumstances within other countries and a “negative stance” toward international adoption from the U.S. government.
Ellen Warnock, who has worked in the international adoption program for 36 years, called the Sept. 30 decision “heartbreaking” but necessary due to a dramatic decline in the number of children annually entering the United States for adoption.
In the early 2000s, more than 23,000 children came into the country each year for adoption. In 2019, that number declined to just 2,900.
“Some of the countries are either unwilling to send children overseas because it’s a national pride issue or because the infrastructure that they have is such that it cannot meet the documentation standards of our government’s immigration process,” said Warnock, associate administrator at Catholic Charities’ Center for Family Services.
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