U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has joined colleagues in the Senate and House in calling for U.S. negotiations with Vietnam to establish a system of bilateral adoptions with appropriate safeguards.

Bayh is a member of the 215-member Congressional Coalition on Adoption.

In 2005 the U.S. and Vietnam signed a bilateral agreement on adoptions, and since then 1,403 Vietnamese orphans have been adopted by American families, a statement released on Tuesday said. But that agreement is set to expire on Sept. 1, and the “State Department has expressed concern over instances of fraud and abuse within the Vietnamese system.”

Members want Secretary of State Condolezza Rice to negotiate a new agreement which guards against current problems in the system. “We believe that signing an interim agreement with Vietnam is consistent with your goal of moving toward a Hague-compliant system, provided that such an agreement would contain enforceable safeguards,” they wrote in a letter to Rice. “We strongly support the transition to a Hague-compliant system in Vietnam. However, we also understand that the establishment of such a system can take years, and it is not in the best interest of children to remain institutionalized or homeless during the period of transition.”

The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption is a treaty which permits international adoption when no domestic family can be found.

“International adoptions can provide a safe, supportive, and caring family environment for thousands of children,” Bayh said. “Our State Department should redouble its efforts to strengthen safeguards in the Vietnamese adoption system so more American families can create loving homes for children who are truly in need.”

Posted 7/9/2008