Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 12, 1990 TAG: 9007120507
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Jennifer Lynch made the trip to Bucharest despite State Department warnings that the trip would not be safe.
Lynch and her husband, Robert, caught a glimpse of the child on "60 Minutes" several months ago. The plight of abandoned children like 2-year-old Alexander became known worldwide after the death of President Nicolae Ceausescu in December.
Lynch took a picture of the TV image and, with the help of the television crews who shot the footage and other Romanian contacts, identified the boy as Alexander.
Lynch said her contacts, made through the Romanian expatriate anchorwoman who was interviewed by CBS, have agreed to help her arrange a private adoption in Bucharest.
"The biggest hurdle is the emotional part," Lynch said. "I just had this gut feeling about it and so did Robert. I just knew that it would be a lot of effort, but it would be possible."
Lynch hopes to gather information for other couples who want to adopt. "I'm going to make the path easier for everybody else," she said.
However, the State Department and other agencies knowledgeable about international adoption say conditions in Romania are in such turmoil that adoption of children by U.S. citizens is far down the list of priorities.
Not only has the department issued a warning against any U.S. citizen traveling to Romania, but it also has taped a phone message saying that as of June 11, the Romanian government suspended foreign adoptions, even those in progress.
"The situation on adoptions is very bleak," said Nyda Novodvorsky, a spokeswoman for the department's Bureau of Consular Affairs. "We would not want to get anybody's hopes up."
"When the State Department issues these things, they're not kidding," said Susan Cox, director of development for Holt International Children's Services in Eugene, Ore.
"We don't really recommend that people do this," said Mary Beth Seader, vice president of the National Committee for Adoption in Washington. "If they're not prepared, they're not doing themselves or the kids any favor."
But Lynch, 30, believes an individual will be more successful than large groups or agencies that might want to set up more layers of red tape.
"What I've been told by people over there is don't worry about it," she said.
The Lynches weren't thinking of adopting when they saw the television segment, but something about Alexander captivated them.
Lynch said she spent a small fortune on calls to get information. In the meantime, the couple had a home study done by a local agency, obtained child sponsorship papers from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and compiled other necessary forms.
Ceausescu had banned contraception and abortion and had ordered women to have many children. Countless families abandoned children they felt unable to care for.
News reports since the revolution have described malnourished and disabled children lying neglected in dirty, crowded institutions.
The pictures and stories prompted a flood of aid from international welfare organizations and a flood of inquiries about adoption.
by CNB