An article on CNN today states that overseas adoptions from two of the biggest baby exporters, Vietnam and Guatemala, have halted their adoption programs after a crackdown against baby trafficking and corruption. Sadly, much of the story focuses on the would-be American parents who are outraged that they can no longer adopt from these countries. Most of these would-be parents are only focusing on what is in it for them; they want their baby no matter what. They could care less if their child was stolen from some unwed mother and sold off as orphan, because according to them this child is now theirs!
Luckily, the US government is taking steps to prevent such corruption and baby stealing, such as requiring the relinquishing mother to appear with the child when they receive their visa, and required DNA tests for both mother and baby so identities can be proven. Yet, these would-be adoptive parents are angry, saying that this painstakingly detailed review is “overkill”, and another responses by saying “My husband and I were absolutely devastated. Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources in the process.”
While adoption seems like the ideal way to help a child who has no family, the downfall is that this is not always the case. Overseas adoptions, notably countries such as Guatemala, Vietnam, Russia, Romania, and China, have turned the necessary into a financial provocative. Guatemala exports one out of every 100 babies born there to wealthy US couples.
Many of these babies were not relinquished by their birth mothers, but either paid ridiculous sums of money to sell their children, or they were stolen unwillingly from them. Some of these birth mothers were coerced, or forced to relinquish their child.
The sad thing is that this is not just and overseas problem. Adoption agencies in the United States play the same games, usually with young teen moms. They prey on these girls, tricking them to give away their children by whatever means necessary. One of the most notorious has been the Catholic Church, which uses religion as justification for destroying these biological ties – stating that unwed moms are sinning and in order to repent their sins they must give up their bastard child. Other adoption agencies trick young girls to cross state lines, so they can get away from the biological father so he has no say in the relinquishing process.
Further more, there are still children being stolen from women, particularly the young and the poor, and these stolen children are sold for upwards of $20,000 (for a white baby) to wealthy wanna-be parents.
4 comments:
I know a woman who gave up her child at the age of 18 for adoption once she realized she could not care for him. Her son and she have since been reunited via the telephone. He has written a blog, stating that he's greatful that his mother made sure he was given to someone who could care for him and he looks at his adoptive parents as his parents. I believe that. It doesn't change the fact that both of them feel a sense of loss, which each have shared. While I applaud adoptive parents (let's face it biology isn't always family), I do believe that baby trafficking is real, not just in other countries, but here. I also believe that such agencies as social welfare for children (DSS) are involved in this trade, as they are notorious for lying and painting parents with a broad brush and taking children out of good homes, while ignoring or being ignorant to children that really need their help, not to mention that there is little focus on the foster parents, some of whom are also capable of abuse.
And just to make sure, I am clear on the things I touched upon: Your parents are the ones who care for you and raise you, not who you are biologically connected to. Still, this doesn't mean we need to discount the important role biology plays in who we are as human beings.
I went under as "anonymous" regarding the comments about adoptive parents (the ones who care for you being your parents). It must have been a typo.
I must really be doing something wrong on this board in typing. My apologies. Anyway, as for my friend's biological son, I hope that he knows that it is okay to mourn the loss of his Mom. I never knew my father (he left us), but met him when I was 30. It helped in one way, and made me, for the first time, acutely aware of my loss.
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