U.S. Marine Maj. Joshua Mast and his wife Stephanie Mast’s adoption of a small Afghan child, Baby Doe, has been voided by an appeals court in Virginia.
Despite Baby Doe’s three years of living with Mast and his wife, the court ruled that he should never have been allowed to adopt the child. The court highlighted procedural mistakes that led to the adoption as so beyond the scope of the adoption statute that the court didn’t have the authority to approve the adoption.
The baby was left without parents in 2019 after an American night raid in Afghanistan. This month, she turned five. She was discovered amid the debris at 40 days old with injuries. After confirming that the baby had surviving relatives, the Afghan authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped to reunite her with them. But Maj. Joshua Mast, an attorney for the United States Marines, and his wife grew resolute in their Christian beliefs to adopt Baby Doe.
Despite infant Doe’s cousin and his spouse caring for her seven thousand miles away, Mast managed to persuade a court in Virginia to approve the adoption after hearing about the infant recovered amid the wreckage.
Mast enticed them to come to the United States during the 2021 Afghan pullout upheaval by offering Baby Doe free healthcare and education.
The Afghan couple is in a state of shock as the Mast family faces accusations of kidnapping Baby Doe.
The Masts claimed they meant well to assist the Afghan family in adjusting to life in the United States, but the couple, who had fled Taliban rule, mistook the situation and their intentions. The cousin and wife of Baby Doe have moved to Texas and have been fighting for custody of her again. Navy Intelligence Group (IG) and National Security Investigations Service (NSA) agents are now under investigation, and both parties have been ordered to remain silent.
The Defense Department has not responded to the current instance. Although the appeal court’s order does not specify a guardian for Baby Doe, she will continue to reside with the Masts. A number of legal groups that have been assisting the Afghan couple have felt encouraged by the court’s ruling.
