Amid partisan conflict in Congress, dozens of lawmakers from both parties – including staunch liberals and conservatives – have united behind a bill that supporters say addresses a heart-rending issue beyond politics: the millions of foreign children languishing in orphanages or otherwise at risk because they have no immediate family.
Adoptions of foreign orphans have declined steadily in recent years. The bill, which encourages more such adoptions, reflects impatience with current policies overseen by the State Department.
"Every child needs and deserves to grow up in a family," said the bill's chief advocate, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. "While our foreign policy has done much to keep children alive and healthy, it has not prioritized this basic human right."
Titled the Children in Families First Act, the measure has been introduced in slightly different forms in the Senate and House. Its co-sponsors range from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a hero of the Democratic left, to Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., a favorite of tea party conservatives.
(Hat tip to Adam)
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