Families in China who were eagerly awaiting to adopt children were taken aback by a sudden policy change.

Last week, China declared the termination of its international adoption program, leaving hundreds of American families in the midst of adopting a child.

Lifeline Children's Services president Herbie Newell told Planet Chronicle Digital that many families who have met the children they hope to adopt through face-to-face interactions have persevered, believing there would be a way to bring them home through intervention. However, an announcement that the children would not be coming home was a devastating blow.

Lifeline Children's Services is a faith-based organization that assists women facing unplanned pregnancies and facilitates domestic and international adoptions, collaborating with 17 countries worldwide, including China.

Beijing has informed U.S. diplomats that it will no longer process adoption cases except for blood relatives adopting a child or stepchild, as reported by The Associated Press.

"In accordance with international conventions, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated during a news conference that the country is appreciative of the governments and adoptive families of other countries' interest in adopting Chinese children."

Newell was taken aback upon discovering the sudden policy shift regarding international adoptions in China, which he had been involved with for over three decades since the country began allowing such adoptions in 1992.

He explained that from his personal perspective, it felt like a good friend had died because there had been a long-term, stable relationship between the People's Republic of China and the United States in finding homes for children with needs, children who were languishing in orphanages, to families that wanted to provide a loving, stable home in the United States.

The sudden decision left families "reeling" after waiting years to bring their children home.

The thing that hit the hardest was that there were between 200 and 400 children who had been matched with U.S. families before Covid 19, and those families had been waiting to bring them home.

No additional U.S. families have been matched to Chinese children since February 2020, he stated.

The children had already visited their adoptive families in the U.S. through a hosting program, and it was believed that they would eventually be brought to the U.S., said he.

Newell stated that the families had been able to send care packages and communicate with the children through a liaison, assuring them that they were not abandoning their fight. However, the recent development was a significant setback.

"Once more, I'm saddened by the continuation of the program's participation. I'm also saddened by the program's termination. It's a tragedy for these children who may suffer as a result of this decision," he continued.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs in China is being sought for clarification in writing by the State Department.

The State Department acknowledged the existence of hundreds of families whose adoption process is still incomplete and expressed empathy towards their predicament.

Since the start of the pandemic, Lifeline has been advocating for these families through petitions to both the U.S. and Chinese governments. Newell vowed to continue the fight for these families to receive answers and bring their children home.

Since 1999, approximately 29% of U.S. overseas adoptions have been of children from China, with over 80,000 kids being adopted by American parents, according to the U.S. State Department.

Planet Chronicle' Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this article.