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"Out of China, Russia, Guatemala, and India, China has the most accountability of
where the children came from." Dr. Jeri Jenista
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7,906 children, about thirty-five
percent of all adoptions, were adopted from China in 2005 (Craft). It is by far the largest sending country
of children to the United States. China is considered to have a well developed and lawful adoption process.
A popular informational adoption site, Adoptive Families, says, “China adoption is noteworthy for its orderly
adoption process – all aspects of Chinese adoption (including costs and the referral process) are regulated by the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing. There is no independent adoption
from China” (General). Independent adoption leaves too much room for illegal adoption practices.
The uniformly regulated system has helped keep Chinese adoptions fair to all parties involved.
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The Children Available
- 95% of children
available are girls
- Of the 5% boys, most are handicapped or illegitimate
- Children are usually
abandoned
As there is still a one-child policy in effect in China, many more girls are available than boys.
Parents will abandon girls after a boy is born because boys are wanted to carry on the family names (girls cannot).
China counters its high population of orphaned children by offering them for international adoption. Because most Chinese
babies are given up willingly, it is rare to find children who are not properly orphaned. - 95% of children available are girls
- Of the 5% boys, most
are handicapped or illegitimate
- Children are usually abandoned
As there is still a one-child policy
in effect in China, many more girls are available than boys. Parents will abandon girls after a boy is born because boys
are wanted to carry on the family names (girls cannot). China counters its high population of orphaned children by offering
them for international adoption. Because most Chinese babies are given up willingly, it is rare to find children who
are not properly orphaned.
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| Represents the number of girls and boys adopted between 1995 and 2005 |
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The
Adoption System
Type of Care: orphanage and foster
The CCAA has
helped to raise standards and equalize care throughout orphanages. The mortality rate in orphanages is dropping with
the introduction of new practices. “Some children who are slated for adoption are placed in a foster care environment.
Other children are placed in a modified institutional care setting in which, during the day, the child spends time in a group
setting and later returns to the foster family at night” (Help). Foster care and partial foster care socializes
children in a family environment. It also reduces change during adoption; the child is not being put in a home environment
for the first time after the adoption.
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Medical Records
Accurate but not detailed
Medical reports include many physical observations, tests on the senses, and lab results. Most
categories are marked only normal or abnormal, but they are considered accurate findings (Miller 84). Diseases the child
has had often scare potential parents and physicians because they are rarely seen in the United
States. Among the most common problems are “Dengue fever, plague, Japanese
encephalitis, and malaria” (Help). A presence of any illness should be investigated, but most are cured by the
time the children available for adoption. Parents and physicians can be reassured by China’s strict policies that prohibit sick children from being placed up
for international adoption.
Adoption Costs
Cost: 20,000 to 25,000 USD
Why? Chinese
adoptions have been praised for their consistency in costs. It includes paperwork fees, agency costs, traveling to China,
and documentation fees (“Adoptive Families”). It is not just the cost, however, but what the money is for.
“In a Chinese adoption, you know where the money goes” (Jenista). The heavy regulation of the adoption system
by the CCAA keeps lawyers from pocketing money and helps minimize cost variation throughout adoptions.
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Who Can Adopt?
China is considered to have some of the strictest laws on who can adopt. This has been done to ensure that adoptions
are in the best interest of the child.
§ Couples must be married for at least two years and there are
no single-parent or homosexual adoption allowed §
Both adoptive parents must be
between the ages of thirty and fifty, although those between fifty and fifty-five can adopt a special needs child §
Parents who take psychiatric
medications are not permitted to adopt § Those with severe face deformities, those who are wheelchair
dependent, and those with a Body Mass Index of over forty cannot adopt from China
Recommendations
On Chinese Adoption
For a family looking to adopt from the most ethical country, China
is the best choice. They are highly regulated and have increasingly good orphanage conditions. China
is also good for parents where cost is the deciding factor, as it ranges from 20,000 to 25,000 USD and has no hidden costs
(strict regulation by the CCAA controls fees). With the growing trend in China of foster care
to ease children into adoption, the children generally have fewer adjustment problems when moving into their adoptive family.
China is not recommended for parents looking to adopt who have medical problems or are on
certain medications, such as those used to treat psychiatric conditions. Couples who want a boy are advised to choose
another country due to the incredibly low availability of healthy boys. Furthermore, those who are single, homosexual,
or under thirty are not permitted to adopt.
Link to works cited
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