Elton John Denied Adoption

John told reporters that he had his longtime partner David Furnish wanted to adopt a 14-month-old HIV-infected boy named Lev. Ukraine has one of the fastest rising rates of HIV infection in Europe and Lev’s orphanage in Makeyevka, Ukraine, houses many children whose parents have died from AIDS.

“David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said ‘no’ because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn’t be fair for the child,” John said.

“But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don’t know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David’s heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home. I’ve changed my mind today.”

Ukraine’s Family, Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko said Monday that the adoption won’t be approved because adoptive parents must be married. Although John and Furnish made their partnership legal in 2005 with one of the first U.K. civil unions, the Ukraine only recognizes marriage between a woman and a man.

That’s not the only law holding John back. Ukrainian adoption law requires that a potential parent be no more than 45 years older than an adopted child.

“Foreign citizens who are single have no right to adopt children … and the age difference between the adopter and the child cannot be more than 45 years,” Pavlenko said. “The law is the same for everybody: for a president, for a minister, for Elton John.”

I think the law concerning adoptive parents not being more than 45 years older than the adopted child totally makes sense. Say Elton John was allowed to adopt Lev. By the time the child was 15, John would be 76. A child shouldn’t be adopted to just have their new parent be at risk of dying of old age not too many years later, landing the child back in an orphanage.

What’s not cool is the law only recognizing straight, married individuals as fit parents. Pavlenko even pointed out that he hoped the publicity about John’s desire to adopt would influence others to adopt children with health problems – which is rare in the Ukraine. If children with health problems especially need homes and someone to love them, why allow a potential parent’s sexual orientation or marital status to come into play? I’m pretty sure a single person, or someone not in a traditional marriage, could provide a way better home than an orphanage.

John is touring Europe with dates through the end of October. After performing in the U.K., France, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Netherlands, John has a number of U.S. shows lined up for November and December.
   
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