Court in Russia

What happens overall:

The situation varies from state to state, but in the state of Amur it goes something like this:

The court includes a judge, a prosecutor (no defense), a translator (from the agency), a representative from the ministry of education, the director of the orphanage, and someone from a Russian government agency called the Registry.

First each person stands up and identifies himself or herself;
The judge explains everyone's rights and responsibilities;
The judge and prosecutor question the adoptive parents;
The ministry of education person, orphanage director, and registry person give their findings;
The judge studies the dossier; and the prosecutor gives a concluding speech.
You then leave the courtroom for the judge to decide your case.
After s/he decides (maybe 10-15 minutes), you are called back to hear the verdict.
The whole process can take anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3 1/2 hours.


Questions we were asked in Court:
v Why do you want to adopt from Russia?

v Why this region?

v How many teeth does your child have?

v How much does she weigh?

v How tall is she?

v What diseases has she had?

v How many times have you met the child?

v Do you have any evidence that she is attached to you?

v Do your children fight?

v Will your children be jealous of her?

v How will you keep her Russian ancestry alive?

v How do you keep all ancestries alive of all of your adopted children?

v Was this the first child you saw?

v How do you know you wouldn't like another child better?

v How do you discipline your children?

v What plans do you have for the child's future?

v How much will it cost you to take care of her per year?

v How much do you save per year?

v Is your income considered average?

v What would be an average income?

v In your home state, is four children considered a large family?

v If serious inflation hits the US as it has in Russia--could you still provide for her?

v Would you get government assistance for having her?

v What will you feed her on the plane?

v Follow up questions--

o Do you think a child this age can drink from a straw?

o Is that all you'll feed her, crackers, juice, and bottled baby food?

v Won't she be afraid to share a bedroom with her sister?

v Will you homeschool your child? Note: They seem to mean by this that the child is not sent to boarding school. Some people have been confused by this question into thinking the Russians wanted them to homeschool (in the American sense). We explained that the child would live at home and go to public school for a few hours, then come back home. This seemed to satisfy them.

v What do you tell your kids about adoption? (Follow-up question--Aren't you sugar-coating the truth?)

v Will the mother work?

v Have your kids ever been mocked for being adopted?

v (To the orphanage director) Is it safe for the baby to fly in her condition? Note--they were referring to a minor condition they called false chord of the left ventricle--our pediatrician says this is "Pre-Ventricular Contraction." See the section on the child's medical information.

v What if she never recovers or gets worse?