Open Question(s) of Adoption

Note: This is quoted in its entirety for clarity.

Shada Kalo

A running commentary on Bangladesh politics.

Saturday

John and Cindy McCain: Illegal Adoptive Parents?

Dr. Abdul Momen

[Dr. Momen, a professor of Economics in Massachusetts and a political analyst, raises questions about the legality of the adoption of the McCains' daughter, Bridget - ShadaKalo editors]

Wes Gullett, Senetor McCain's former staff member, spoke at the Republic National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his adopted daughter Nikki by his side. He talked about the compassion of the potential first lady, Senator John McCain's wife Cindy McCain. The camera repeatedly showed Mrs. McCain and the McCains' adopted daughter, Bridget. The proof of Mrs. McCain's compassion? She had rescued two baby girls from an orphanage in Bangladesh, and "adopted" one of them, while Mr. Gullett "adopted" the other. After the 11-house stories, this certainly helped humanize the McCains and garner some sympathy.

Unfortunately, there is a reason we put the quotes around adopted.

According to Bangladeshi Law, no foreigner is allowed to adopt a Bangladeshi child. The US embassy in Bangladesh says:

Actual adoption of children is not permitted under Bangladesh law. However, Bangladesh law does permit its own citizens to apply for guardianship of children. At that time, a U.S.-Bangladeshi dual citizen who has obtained guardianship of a Bangladeshi child could apply for an immigrant visa for that child to go to the U.S. Under Bangladesh law, the 1982 Guardianship and Wards Amendments Ordinances prohibit granting guardianship of Bangladeshi children to non-Bangladeshi parents. Further, these restrictions have limited adoption of Bangladeshi children to only a few each year.

Lets parse this. First, adoption is not allowed. Second, guardianship is allowed, but only to Bangladeshi citizens.

John and Cindy McCain, therefore, could not have legally adopted Bridget. The same applies to the Gullets and Nikki. I am personally happy that they adopted her and saved her life, but they broke Bangladeshi law. It is not expected from a war hero, a national role model and a highly respected US Senator like John McCain to adopt his daughter ‘without due process of law’ illegally and use such ‘illegal adoption’ for political gain.

But then again, Mrs. McCain is no stranger to breaking the law.

In 1992, when we wanted to arrange the adoption in the USA of 25 Bangladeshi boys, all below the age of 5 who were being sold as ‘camel jockeys’ in the Gulf countries, the Bangladesh government did not allow us to do it because of their adoption law. As the US embassy page points out, Bangladeshi law does not allow foreigners to adopt their children legally since the ordinance was enacted in 1982. We got their custody after six months only when we (me and my friend Faith Willard of Cape Cod, Massachusetts) agreed to the conditions such as (1) we would repatriate and rehabilitate them in Bangladesh, and (2) would hand them over back to Bangladesh government if any ‘real parents’ claim them.

It also looks like Mrs. McCain was also embellishing stories about the adoption for the past 17 years. She has been claiming that Mother Teresa herself convinced her to adopt the baby Bridget. There was just a small problem: Mrs. McCain never met Mother Teresa:

The McCain campaign had also put out the story that Mother Teresa “convinced” Cindy to bring home two orphans from Bangladesh in 1991.

Mrs. McCain, it turns out, never met Mother Teresa on that trip. (Once contacted by the Monitor, the campaign revised the story on its website.)

So why was she name-dropping? Just to exploit the good name of Mother Teresa? During Mr. Gullett's speech, a photo of Mrs. McCain and Mother Teresa was shown. Perhaps the GOP wants us to believe that some of her sainthood must have rubbed off on Cindy McCain.

The RNC paraded Bridget and Nikki as examples of Cindy McCain's compassion--for a political campaign. This makes the following a fair question.

We call upon the McCain campaign to clarify this adoption: since foreign adoption has been illegal since at least 1982, how did the McCain family adopt a child from Bangladesh in 1991?

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.