Policy / Ensure Intercountry Adoption Remains a Viable Option

Ensure Intercountry Adoption Remains a Viable Option

Southern Baptists affirm adoption as a central theological theme with practical application in our families and communities. We adopt because we ourselves were adopted into the family of God. The Baptist Faith and Message states that children “are a blessing and heritage from the Lord,” whether by birth or by adoption. In addition, the Resolution On Adoption And Orphan Care states that in the gospel, we have received the “Spirit of adoption,” meaning “we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (John 14:18; Rom. 8:12-25; Gal. 3:27-4:9; Eph. 1:5).

Intercountry adoption strengthens families, communities, and our nation, and it remains a necessity for children around the world. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), as of Fiscal Year 2021, an estimated 13 million children were orphaned by losing both parents. In Fiscal Year 2022, an estimated 1,517 children were adopted into the United States through international adoption.

The ERLC is advocating to ensure children who are adopted and parents who seek to adopt through intercountry adoption are provided with clear pathways to adoption and citizenship. Currently, the ERLC is working with partners in the U.S. Department of State to better facilitate intercountry adoptions. As a part of this mission, the ERLC urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Adoptee Citizenship Act to ensure children who arrive in the U.S. through intercountry adoption and who are adopted by citizens are ensured the full rights of citizenship. The ERLC will also advocate for the inclusion of the Adoption Tax Credit in any legislative efforts to reform the tax code.

The ERLC strongly supports intercountry adoption and corresponding legislative efforts to strengthen and simplify the complex intercountry adoption process.