Elton John to support child he hoped to adopt: partner
AFP
LONDON- Elton John intends to provide financial and other support to a young Ukranian boy he had hoped to adopt, the singer-songwriter's partner David Furnish said Tuesday.
Furnish told BBC Radio that the couple were "hugely disappointed" that Ukrainian authorities had blocked their attempts to adopt Lev, a toddler they met in a Ukrainian orphanage, but hoped to still have some impact on his life.
Elton John
John, 62, and his long-term partner Furnish, 47, had a civil partnership in Britain in 2005 but the Ukraine does not recognise same-sex marriage.
"It's not possible -- the laws don't support the adoption," Furnish said.
"And we are finding ways of supporting Lev and his brother from here, keeping them in their own country and just making sure that they have the best health care, education and family options available to them."
He added: "(We) really felt we could make a huge difference in their lives, but we'll make a difference from here."
Elton said in September that Lev, then 14-months old, had "stolen his heart" when he visited the Ukraine with his AIDS charity foundation.
The parents of some of the children in the orphanage had died of AIDS, although staff there have said it will not be possible to confirm whether Lev is HIV positive until he reaches the age of 18 months.
Furnish said the couple would campaign against Ukraine's adoption laws.
"I think there's a lot of things they need to catch up in terms of adoption and the status of the child that's HIV positive and what the status of their adoption is within their country," he said.
This would not apply to Lev and his brother "because we just want to get them out of the orphanage and with a good family as soon as possible. But for future children, they can have a better and a smoother path".
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