Skim Milk in the Case of Justin Hansen UPDATED

By on 1-22-2011 in Adoption, Artyom Savelyev, Justin Hansen, Russia, Torry Hansen

Skim Milk in the Case of Justin Hansen UPDATED
Things are seldom what they seem/Skim milk masquerades as cream. (W.S. Gilbert, H.M.S. Pinafore)
In the media this week: More about the ongoing saga of what will happen to Justin Hansen, aka Artyom Savelyev, the child who was placed alone on a plane and sent back to Russia by his adoptive mother, Torry Hansen, last April.
On Wednesday, January 19, it was reported that Torry Hansen was refusing to give up her parental rights. Russia was seeking child support payments.
Boy Sent to Russia Can’t Be Adopted [The Moscow Times 1/19/11 by Natalya Krainova]
On Thursday, January 20, Ms. Hansen’s local Tennessee newspaper reported that “documents …are asking for Hansen ‘to pay alimony for the maintenance of a minor amount of 75,000 rub(les)’ – a little over $2,500 a month in American dollars. “
Hansen child support asked [Shelbyville Times Gazette 1/20/11 by Brian Mosely]
Three others have inserted themselves into this story: World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), the adoption agency that placed Justin/Artyom with Torry; the National Council for Adoption (NCFA), which despite its name is not a government organization but a membership organization with prominent Christian adoption agencies, such as Bethany Christian Services, influencing it to promote their adoption business; and adoptive parent Jennifer Terhune, who according to  Attorney: Returned Russian Boy Back In Orphanage
[Fox Memphis 7/30/10]  is “the Wilson County teacher [with] three adopted children and approached the agency after hearing about the case.” 
We believe all of the above each has their own agendas, and are masquerading as the cream in this sad story. Are these people really representing the child’s best interests? Let’s get real here:
  • WACAP, the agency that either didn’t screen its client well enough or didn’t provide proper pre- or post-adoption education, now wants kudos for allegedly trying to do the right thing.
  • An adoption business member organization likely wants to make this all go away so their continued profits from non-transparent Russian adoptions can keep flowing. 
  • A woman with absolutely no connection whatsoever to this child magically appears to contact the out-of-state agency, and she offers to take custody of a child who is in dire need of someone with extensive training in the care of severely traumatized children. Nothing has been said about what screening this prospective adoptive parent had, or what her qualifications are to parent Justin/Artyom.
It appears the narrative that they want us to believe is “Look at us! Aren’t we incredibly on the ball! Now we have a loving mother willing to parent this child! Torry=bad. Jennifer =good. WACAP =good. NCFA= good.”
Sorry, but all we see is more hypocrisy. No cream–just curdled skim milk.

Update on court case: New information is included in this update about the NCFA involvement and Torry’s arguments against child support.

“[T]he National Council for Adoption (NCFA)…is identified in court papers as the designated liaison for Leonid Lvovich Mityaev, the physical custodian of Justin in Moscow.

Henegar [Torry’s original lawyer] wrote in December that the NCFA has been trying to persuade a court in Moscow to postpone proceedings that would terminate Hansen’s parental rights.”

“[T]he Hansen’s argument [is] that they were victims of fraud and that the fraud should be the basis for annulling the adoption and freeing Hansen of any child support obligations.”

Attorneys blast motion in Russian adoption case
[Shelbyville Times- Gazette 2/2/11 by Brian Mosely]

Update 2 on court case: The Russians will wait on Tennessee court rulings before making further decisions. “Russian officials have filed documents in Bedford County’s juvenile court, saying they want to wait until a local judge rules on a child support case dealing with a boy sent back to Moscow by his adoptive mother before moving forward in that country. ”

“According to translated documents filed last Tuesday, Justin has been a foster child of State Educational Institution Orphan Home No. 19 “Foster Care Center … and has received full governmental provision in our institution since April 29, 2010 up to the present time.”

The document was dated Jan. 14, 2011 and was signed by Leonid Lvovich Mityaev, director of the home. ”

Russia awaits Rich ruling on Hansen
[Shelbyville Times- Gazette 2/17/11 by Brian Mosely]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Corruption2

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