Questions of the day…
By TAO
I have seen a lot of hand-wringing and posts pop up in rebuttal, or response to Kathryn Joyce’s article in Mother Jones.
I just read this post about it, which includes a Q&A from various people within the Evangelical Adoption Movement…and this statement was the impetus for this post.
Rick Morton: […] International adoption is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it must be policed to keep out those who would engage in illegal activity. That is ultimately a responsibility of civil authorities. […]
So, based on the fact that Christian Adoption Agencies have been around a long time, and this type of international adoption since the end of the Korean War…surely there is a track record of the policing, or at least making it a priority to assist the civil authorities by bringing these activities to light.
1. How many adoption agencies have publicly denounced another agency for unethical, or illegal activities, and worked with the civil authorities to get the agency closed down?
2. How many adoption agencies, or adoption industry lobbyists, have petitioned Congress to include “trafficking for adoption” in the official definition of trafficking?
3. How many adoption agencies publically owned up to any of the problems that shut down Guatemala, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, or reported illegal activities to the authorities?
Of course some great adoptive parents have spoken up, created groups like PEAR and REFORM TALK and ETHICA (closed). Other adoptive parents have posted blog entries, repeatedly, like this series of posts about adopting in the DRC, and have been attacked by others for daring to speak up. Others like Prof. David Smolin who has published papers, and spoken at conferences on child-laundering for adoption. But I never see anyone in the “adoption industry” trying to do anything other than make more adoptions happen, faster. I am open to being proven wrong, but I cannot remember ever seeing otherwise. Perhaps if they walked the walk…
How many wrongful adoptions are too many? 1, 100, 1,000, 10,000… How many?
Tags: adoptee, adoptees, adoption, adoption impact, adoptive family, biological family, Ethics and morals, fathers, loss, mothers, truth
The adopted ones blog 
eagoodlife
April 22, 2013 at 10:01 pm
“International adoption is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it must be policed to keep out those who would engage in illegal activity. That is ultimately a responsibility of civil authorities. ” – because the lucrative market must be protected and we don’t want shady traders spoiling it for the rest! It is the responsibility of consummers to report illegal dealings and much stricter regulations would help.Why not make adoption State run as it is in some countries?
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TAO
April 22, 2013 at 10:27 pm
So I guess your answer to the three questions is No, No, No… 🙂
If the US made adoptions state run (they did during my era but allowed agencies too) – then that multi-billion dollar a year industry wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry. But it would be much more ethical…
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eagoodlife
April 23, 2013 at 11:44 pm
I believe so providing the Government acts ethically in relation to TA and sending countries. I have a suspocion adoption is viewed as another type of Aid.
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Holly
April 23, 2013 at 1:19 am
Thanks for the mention of my posts, needed that encouragement today. I have never asked your questions before; they are great questions. And I can’t think of any agencies (at least in DRC) that I could say “yes” in answer to your questions. I know some that say a lot about doing ethical adoptions, and some of those are taking on more and more clients and doing more and more adoptions. I just don’t see how doing ethical adoptions can happen at the same time as rapidly increasing the adoptions (especially infant adoptions). I think you bring up a great point, the culpability of agencies to walk the talk, and do it publicly.
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TAO
April 23, 2013 at 3:06 am
Holly – how nice of you to comment – yet what you say makes me sad. Why and how can agencies not see what they are doing. You keep speaking – you will and are makng a difference. Take care.
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Valentine Logar
April 23, 2013 at 11:28 am
The on-going problem is the system will not police itself. The on-going problem is money, so long as there is money and lots of it to be made it will continue to exist without policing.
So your answers are .. no no no
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