Your help needed to bring Elena home... Another case of a Russian adoption gone bad here, the 12th such death of an adopted Russian child by their parent on American soil. The light sentence Irma Pavlis will likely get on May 4th under her involuntary manslaughter conviction (she would easily get a murder rap in Russia, which would carry a 45-year sentence here) is appalling to the Russians, and rightfully so. What does this mean?

• More intense scrutiny of American families adopting Russian children, including those like us who've already jumped through substantial hoops to prove ourselves worthy adoptive parents.
• Still more delays in bringing Elena home.
• Ultimately, this could lead to the end of American adoptions from Russia and other countries.

So, what can you do to help? (Thanks to Debbie at ICA for providing these suggestions)

1) Write to the judge handling the case, urging him to throw the book at Irma Pavlis in his sentencing. Granted, it is the equivalent of a paperback book we're asking him to throw, but if the Russians realize we are doing the best we can under the circumstances in punishing Irma Pavlis, it will hopefully help mitigate the damage.

The Honorable Thomas P. Fecarotta, Jr.
Cook County Circuit Court, 3rd District
2121 Euclid Ave., Room 204A
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Re: Sentencing of Irma Pavlis

2) The Russian government needs to hear that Americans are outraged by this atrocity and that this family did not go through the rigors of adoption as they went over independently to Russia without the guidance and oversight of a licensed agency who has been working in Russia for many years.

Ambassador Yuri V. Ushakov
2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007

3) The newspapers need to hear from you, so please check your local paper for reporting of the May 4th sentencing so that a response may be made in a Letter to the Editor. If the sentencing is light, it could be a disaster to all families and children waiting. If the sentence is stiff (i.e. the maximum under the involuntary manslaughter conviction), then the Russians need to know that Americans applaud that decision and that America will continue to watch out for all children.

We want to send a strong message that adoption needs to continue for the sake of the thousands of children who want and need permanent, loving homes. and that adoption needs to continue. The death of the twelve children adopted from Russia is twelve too many. The 100,000 children waiting to have families are also too many. The families that are waiting to adopt have been screened by licensed agencies that work in Russia and have been deemed fit to adopt, unlike the Pavlis family who did it independently and did not have the guidance and oversight of an agency.

Thanks for your help while the children wait...and wait...and wait...

  ¶ 7:58 PM 0 comments