Ensure Intercountry Adoption Remains a Viable Option

Intercountry adoption strengthens families, communities, and our nation, and it remains a necessity for vulnerable 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 2024, intercountry adoptions declined to only 1,172 children adopted into U.S. families, marking another record low. 

In 2024, China entirely suspended international adoptions, which deeply impacted the approximately 300 American families matched with a child in China. This decision by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a devastating setback for these families and the vulnerable children who were left with fewer options for a loving home. The ERLC sent a letter to the State Department urging them to negotiate the best possible resolution for these nearly 300 families who want to bring their children home. In addition to these children who have already been matched with adoptive families, we are also concerned about the fate of the estimated 100,000 children currently in Chinese orphanages. Many of these children have mental or physical challenges that require high levels of care and are unlikely to be adopted domestically in China.