ANKARA - Social services experts and psychologists have reacted positively to the new adoption arrangement in general, though some argue that cultural differences might create an adaptation problem depending on the child´s age. Parliament has approved a law permitting foreigners to adopt Turkish children, hoping it provides a better future for kids.

A new law enabling foreign nationals to adopt children from Turkey has garnered support from the experts.

Foreign nationals, including foreigners who live in Turkey and meet the criteria set by Turkish laws, will be able to adopt children from Turkey, according to the new law, which went into effect upon being published in the Official Gazette.

The new law seeks to benefit children and stipulates that Turkish families will be given priority when adopting. If families or individuals eligible cannot be found to adopt the child in Turkey, the children will be allowed to be adopted by foreigners. The procedures will be carried out by Turkey’s Social Services and Children Protection Institution, or SHÇEK.

Social services experts and psychologists have generally reacted positively to the new arrangement, but some argued that the cultural differences, depending on the age of the children, might create an adaptation problem in the new country. "Growing up in a new culture is of course likely to create some difficulty for the adopted. But it is a preferable situation for the adopted children to live amid a family atmosphere rather than being brought up by an institution," child psychologist Emine Öztürk Kýlýç told the Daily News.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/11222837.asp

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Good news for kids whose parents are dead or unable to support them. The next step is changing the law to make it possible for singles to adopt. I wonder though if gay people (married or not) ever can adopt...

I was waiting this law since long ... finally it arrives ... Thanks for posting it Trudy ... you made this day really special for me! 

It´s good news.  I wonder how many Turkish families adopt children?  Is it common? 

I am not so sure about this, why are there not enough people in Turkey who can or will adopt Turkish children?  Is it not a common thing?  

My worry is that you end up with the Madonna effect, not so sure it is right that children are taken out of their natural environment.  I know they adapt, but we are not talking about a third world country here, we are talking about a country that is looking for entry into the EU.

I am afraid I am the old fashioned sort and I believe that a child needs two parents, not a single parent by choice or gay parents.

 I agree with Libra.In my opinion all conditions should be provided to facilitate children´s growth in their homeland in terms of care,education,foster parents,etc...

And I do agree that a child needs two parents of opposite sex...

 You know I also wonder why she couldn´t adopt or foster a child here in the USA....there are children here who need homes.

Foster Care Facts

Nearly One Quarter of Foster Care Children Are Waiting for Adoptive Families
In 1999, the latest year for which totals have been finalized, there were about 581,000 children in foster care in the United States.[1] Twenty-two percent of these children -- about 127,000 kids -- were available for

 Lack of available foster parents

Based on data provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services submitted as of January 16th, 2008, there are more than 500,000 children in the foster care systems throughout the United States (1). Currently the trend is showing more children entering the system than exiting, which is also known as aging out. Among the children who are currently placed, there are approximately 20,000 children who will emancipate or age out of the system this year (1). This is quite a frightening thought for these youths, who essentially have not been able to adapt a permanent and stable structure that would have prepared them for the challenges they would be facing as adults.

Maybe I´m being too hard on these celebrities...but...?

Nope, you´re not. I think it´s a perverted fad to adopt a child from the Thirld World Countries. There´s also one more peril of international adoption that should be pointed out - sometimes people who were rejected as foster parents/adopted parents in their homeland adopt children from poorer countries with less demanding adoption procedures. That may (although it doesn´t necessarily have to) mean that children end up with people who do not meet standards of adoption

i`s usually an option just for the couples who can`t have children biologically. It`s also common to adopt children of close relatives.

Totally agree, i dont think its a good news at all, i agree with LL, adana and alameda too

To me, by this law, children are treated more like merchandise!

Who want to adopt a child and not able to in his country, can get it from some where else, and this time legally too !

Buy what right, they take the decision to send the children away ?!

Ýf we are thinking about the childrend sake, then the point is how to provide a natural environment to those kids more close to the real one

And the real one wont be any combination other than Turkish child got Turkish parents, and live in Türkiye !

That is the normal thing as any other child from any other country, Brits, American, Egyptian, French, German, Ýtalian,Somalian...etc !

Ý dont like it at all !

I guess you have to divide it into two different groups:

(i) those foreigners who come to Turkey to get a child, and then take it away to their new country

(ii) those foreigners who live here long term, and who end up getting close to and looking after a child, but have never been allowed to formally adopt.

Most of your negative comments are about case (i).

I have three friends who fall under case (ii). Let me tell you the story of one of them.

One of their neighbours had a young toddler. She wasn´t coping very well. So they used to look after the child and babysit, and take the child out with there own children. Then one day the neighbour had to go into hospital. She asked them to look after her child while she was ill, as her husband was at work all the time. They did this. When she came out of hospital, she and her husband wanted to move to another city, but not take the child with them. She said "you help my child, would you be willing to look after her?" My friends were scared this could become a legal nightmare so they agreed, but only if social services were involved and said it was OK. Social services said you can only foster, foreigners cant adopt, even if the parents are willing.

So they have looked after C for nine years now. Every time mum visits it is clear she has a drink problem, and she cannot make a good relationship with C because she does erratic things that scare her. My friends love C and treat her like their own children. She is happy in the family. But they all know that anytime her mother can come and take her back, and that is very unsettling.

Not all adoption cases are like Madonna!