Alexandra Austin, 22, is suing the wealthy Canadian couple who adopted her when she was 9, then sent her back to Romania five months later to a life
of poverty - two days after they adopted another baby girl.
"They stole my childhood. They stole my future. They stole my life. I've never had a normal life." Austin told reporters in halting English.
The suit filed in Ontario Superior Court identifies the woman's legal father as prominent heart surgeon Joseph Austin, now chief of cardiothoracic
surgery at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash.
Also named in the suit for among other things, lack of duty of care, are the doctor's ex-wife, Silvana Marisa Di Giacomo of Rome, Italy, as well as
the Canadian and Ontario governments.
www.thestar.com
Romanian-born Alexandra Austin, who was adopted by an Ontario couple but sent back five months later to poverty and deprivation, has launched a $7
million lawsuit against her adoptive parents, the Canadian and Ontario governments and Swiss International Air Lines.
The suit, filed by Toronto lawyer Jeffrey Wilson, is also a landmark human rights case that aims to eradicate inequalities in the federal Citizenship
Act that allow foreign-born adopted children to fall through the international cracks, becoming stateless if their new parents fail to apply for
Canadian citizenship.
"Internationally this will be a landmark case," says Wilson. "It forces us to look at the issue of `What do we, the international community, owe to
an adopted child?'"
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
This story is so sad, and highlights how adopted children from other countries can fall through the cracks if not followed up by the authorities of
host countries.
How these people could uproot a child only to send her back to get a newer "model" should be held to account. This poor woman's whole life has
been affected, and the money will do little to fix it, but would make a statement.
For anyone who has access to CBC Newsworld - the Passionate Eye is doing a feature documentary on this terrible tragedy tonight, Feb. 16th @ 10 p.m.
EST and PST.
Related News Links:
www.theglobeandmail.com
www.cbc.ca
[edit on 16/2/05 by AlwaysLearning]
[edit on 16/2/05 by AlwaysLearning]