Why go to China to adopt a child?

[Boojatta]

For example, presumably no American children were willing to have Mia Farrow as a mother. Why should a child from China be forced into a child-parent relationship with someone who is deemed unfit to be a parent by the unanimous vote of all American children?

[madeline_con]

1. They're only about $20,000. Church affiliated lawyers use the racket

to live the good life. Next question.

[Critters2]

8. Yep. I looked into it. Couldn't afford it.

And I'm a pastor of a church in a denomination that has an org that does this. Honestly, $20,000 was cheap. It can run up to $40,000. It's really selling children.

[Kaleva]

2. Long waiting time here in the US

There's a couple who live not far from me who went to Russia to adopt a child. It cost them a pretty penny but I guess they thought it was worth it rather then wait for possibly years.

[Thothmes]

6. An acquaintance of mine

just completed the adoption of a 3 year old from an orphanage in the Ukraine. It took them about one year start to finish, and the total cost was about $10,000. That included 3 trips to the Ukraine and a 3 week stay in the country at the final stage of the adoption.

[-..__...]

7. "Say that reminds me...

how'd you get that kid so darn fast? Me and Dot went in to adopt on account a' somethin' went wrong with my semen, and they said we had to wait five years for a healthy white baby. I said, "Healthy white baby? Five years? What else you got?" Said they got two Koreans and a negra born with his heart on the outside. It's a crazy world".

"Someone oughta sell tickets".

"Sure, I'd buy one".

:smoke:

[reflection]

24. Greatest. Movie. Ever.

Would watch it every day if I had time.
:rofl:

[REP]

3. Very few babies for adoption in the US; less chance of a foreign mother changing her mind

or having the means to fight the adoption; easier to buy access overseas; romantic idea of "saving a baby" ... Mostly comes down to supply and demand. Infants are in high demand; it's mostly older childer, many with emotional and/or health issues that need homes in the US.

[JeanGrey]

4. That is exactly it.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Exactly

My folks went to Canada to adopt me back in the mid-1950's, there was a shortage of infants even then. With the stigma removed from single motherhood, and the rise of legal abortion, there have simply been less adoptable infants out there.

Older kids usually come from tragic circumstances, I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to take a severely emotionally damaged child into their home, or a crack baby. The average family where both parents work outside the home just simply doesn't have the resources available to deal with such a child's needs.

[Critters2]

9. 3663 American children looking for homes.

http://www.adoptuskids.org/Child/ChildSearch.aspx

[LisaL]

22. Yea and if you look at these children, there are teenagers,

special needs, or a bunch of siblings.
Do you see any healthy infants or toddlers up for adoption?

[rve300]

12. Not true

My family went to Kazakhstan, spent 3 weeks with the young boy. At the final court hearing, we learned that the grandmother had changed her mind and the entire thing was called off. My wife and daughter were devastated, we flew back empty handed and in tears. If that old lady had wanted or asked for a bribe to sell her grandson, I would have gladly paid it. Their was nothing I could do and was over $20,000 out of pocket.

Access is not easier, natural parents and families have rights and saving babies is not just a romantic idea.
The "celeb mom" has really screwed up the image of adopting. Your post makes us all sound like Bruno.

[REP]

13. Plenty of older and special needs kids in the US

They need saving, too.

[rve300]

20. I understand that.

We tried in the state of Texas before we went for the international option. We were not even looking for a baby and would have accepted any healthy child under 10. The vast majority of available children for adoption required full time in home care or came attached to 4 other siblings that the court does not want to break up. As much as the wife and I would have loved to adopt a child in the US. Neither of those options were something we could afford.

[HamdenRice]

23. Point of information: There are plenty of health (black) American babies available for adoption

They are black males however, and the preference among adoptors is for white females or if none are available, Asian females or white males.

While Americans go overseas for Asian female and white (Russian) babies, American adoption agencies send black male babies to Canada where they are considered desirable.

[rve300]

10. Tried this a few years ago

In the state of Texas. We were not even looking for a baby and would have accepted any healthy child under 10. The vast majority of available children for adoption required full time in home care or came attached to 4 other siblings that the court does not want to break up. As much as the wife and I would have loved to adopt a child in the US. Neither of those options were something we could afford.

It is about supply and demand as all things tend to be. When the law changed to raise the tax credit from $7,000 to $14,000, all the agencies in the nation raised the fees for adoption by around $7,000 within 18 months. As sad as it is, there is a price point Americans are willing to pay for a child. If the government gives you $7,000 to help pay for it you will gladly pay $20,000. If that help gets raised to $14000 to make it more affordable to more folks, then the price for a kid gets raised to $27,000. The whole adoption industry made we sick. At least the international operators admit they are in it for the money and you know where you stand for the start.

[BobRossi]

11. Chinese goods are cheaper.

And orphan children are nothing but 'goods' in China.

[AnnieBW]

14. Especially girls

The Chinese are dumping their girls on the West, because of their "one-child" policy and the society valuing sons over daughters. So, they're dumping their girl children on the US. Meanwhile, the Chinese are starting to realize that they're starting to be screwed demographically. They have a whole lot more young males than females. The young males want a traditional woman, and the young women want no part of that. This is probably why the Chinese look the other way when young North Korean women cross the border. They might become concubines, but at least they're getting fed.

Not to mention the Russians who are dumping all of their fetal alcohol syndrome kids on unsuspecting Westerners (a friend of mine just adopted a boy from Russia, and they had him THOROUGHLY checked). We looked into adopting from Russia, but the graft is just insane.

Unfortunately, with an American child, you often have "private" adoptions through pro-life organizations - which I refuse to patronize, and they'd probably refuse me, too 'cause I'm a Wiccan. Then you get the girl changing her mind, or getting her life together and wanting her baby back. Or the deadbeat father shows up and decides that he wants his kid. Either way, the justice system is skewed to side with the birth parent rather than the adoptive parent (who is giving the kid a better life). It's enough to make one totally give up on adoption altogether.

[Shagbark Hickory]

15. Sounds complicated. Around here you can usually find a nice healthy baby in the dumpsters behind

the mall.

[cascadiance]

17. Yup, I heard a lot of this too... But recently it sounds like they're lightening up on 1 child...

... and allowing 2 children in many situations now instead.

It sounds like in addition to the problem you mention, they're having a problem with the larger segment of their population getting old, and the smaller younger generation perhaps struggling more to be a large enough work force to support them as they grow older.

[REP]

18. Notice how it's "young girls" relinquishing babies for older, wealthier couples?

These girls are usually coerced - by so-called pro-life groups, looking to make huge money off the adoption - into relinquishing their newborns. Given the tremendous lifelong psycholgical damage that relinquishing a newborn can do, we should be glad whenever a young woman is able to take care of her own child, despite the wishes of the attorneys making a profit.

[rve300]

19. Do you paint with anything smaller than that wide brush? nt

[LisaL]

16. I imagine there is a severe shortage of healthy adoptable

babies or young children in US.

[JI7]

21. because laws here which allow birth mother to change their mind

within a certain period and get the baby back from adoptive parents.