Expectations of the Consequences of New International Adoption Policy in the U.S.

In 2006, the State Department published its Final Rules for implementation of the Hague Convention and the Intercountry Adoption Act. This new rule, which took effect in 2008, signifies a departure from previous practice by specifying national, uniform conditions and terms for international adoption practice by U.S. agencies and professionals. Interviews with adoption professionals reveal their predictions regarding the potential consequences of the new rule. Participants indicate the new rule will protect children and families from unscrupulous adoption practices, thereby fulfilling its stated purposes. Paradoxically, they also predict that the new rule will have latent consequences that will negatively impact waiting children, prospective families, and adoption agencies.