Today’s formal statement, issued from Calcutta, said: “It was two months ago that the Missionaries of Charity chose to discontinue all our adoption work in India”.
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Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity may shut down thirteen orphanages run by them as the government is planning to derecognise them. While separated or divorced parents were eligible to adopt earlier as well, the new guidelines have made registration of prospective parents with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) mandatory and applications can be tracked online. The charity, however, is not in favour of the idea, as they believe that this takes away from the essence of adoption, to view the child as a gift, and not as a commodity.
While the statement was silent on the reasons for the decision, sources associated with the organisation said that single or divorced adoptive parents weren’t the only sticking point.
As per the guidelines notified by the Women and Child Development Ministry in July, adoption rules have become more stringent. Gandhi also said that the government is trying to convince them to follow guidelines as they are experienced in the field. This process was said to be tedious, and could take up to months, or even years before the concerned adoption agency reached their final decision.
According to a TOI report, the Missionaries of Charity had sought de-recognition of 13 of its 16 orphanages opposing the new adoption guidelines. “They have their own agenda and now when they have to come under a unified secular agenda, they are refusing it”, Hindustan Times quoted Gandhi as saying. Her officials said she was unlikely to relent.
“We believe that all children should have both parents – a male and a female”.
“The new guidelines hurt our conscience”. The Centre however is keen to hold consultation to convince the missionaries. The Delhi centre has moved six such children to the Holy Cross Social Services, a Catholic organisation. “The provisions referred to are new guidelines issues by Women and Child Development Ministry headed by Maneka Gandhi”.
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The Missionaries said it would continue to serve wholeheartedly and free of charge unwed mothers, children with malnutrition and differently-abled children in all homes/centres run by it, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
