Opinion piece on "baby shortage" in China

[Tigeresse]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/op...&ex=1170219600

[RedOakMomma]

"And yet, I continued to wonder whether, as China increasingly asserts itself on the world stage and prepares to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, allowing Westerners to adopt thousands of infants each year would fit the image it wanted to project. I suspect not, and China’s new restrictions lead me to believe that national pride is more important than getting these children into loving homes. "

This is the opinion I've heard voiced most frequently. It's heartbreaking, if it's true.

It's my understanding that Korea did something very similar during the Seoul Olympic build-up. We're in the process of a Korean adoption now, and I find the changes going on in the Korean adoption process fascinating. The Korean government hopes to make all their adoptions domestic by the end of the decade....now I know they've made similar goals in the past, but they really seem to be backing this up with domestic programs of grants, financial aid, etc. for adoptive parents. Whether or not this will help overcome the social stigma attached to adoption in Korea is another matter, but at least they're trying.

Often when I've been reading about overseas attitudes toward overseas adoption by the US, I've read that people feel they're just exporting their problems...and if you send your children abroad because of poor economic conditions, domestic racism, sexism, or other societal problems, then all it does is put off the grander task of correcting those societal ills.

I feel torn about this--on one hand, I think it would be great if Korea (as an example) would confront their negative attitudes toward adoption and children of unmarried parents. On the other hand, putting an end to overseas adoption so that Korea MUST confront their negative cultural attitudes and start adopting their own children seems so unfair to the number of children that must, during that period of adjustment, grow up in orphanages.

Is China planning that sort of adjustment? Are they taking the first of probably many bumpy steps toward encouraging domestic adoption over overseas adoption? I hope their motivation is something like that, rather than a reaction to "wounded" national pride. In the meantime, whatever their reasoning is, it's sad for the children that are being kept from families.

[Diane B]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

I feel torn about this--on one hand, I think it would be great if Korea (as an example) would confront their negative attitudes toward adoption and children of unmarried parents. On the other hand, putting an end to overseas adoption so that Korea MUST confront their negative cultural attitudes and start adopting their own children seems so unfair to the number of children that must, during that period of adjustment, grow up in orphanages.

With the pending, possible changes in Guatemala, I think a number of us wonder a similar thing. In the case of Guatemala, it's a terribly poor country, and there is a lot of classism and racism that make it unlikely large numbers of children will be adopted domestically by the relatively few Guatemalans who could afford to do so. And yet, the ideal is obviously that children are able to grow up in their home countries and cultures. At the geopolitical, abstract level, the solutions seem a lot more clear than down on the muddy, messy ground level.

[Monie]

We were privileged enough to be allowed to visit our dd's orphanage. There were over 800 children assigned there, though most of those lived with foster families. All special needs children. We saw rooms and rooms full of babies and toddlers. This was not the only orphanage for the town.

There is not a shortage of children who need homes. I think there is a shortage of paper-ready "perfect" children that the government thinks would appeal to Westerners.

I also think that there is truth to the idea that China is trying to change the way the rest of the world views it, especially in light of the upcoming Olympics.

[queencarr]

With the recent reports of the gender imbalance and new policies to help decrease this, I wonder if keeping more baby girls in country, even if in orphanages, is an attempt to fix that.

Also, RedOakMama, not sure if you knew this, but the changes in Korea adoptions after the Olympics were instigated by a less than nice comment by an American athlete regarding international adoption of Korean babies. As you probably know, saving face is a very important cultural value in Korea, and they were obligated to do so, resulting in a tightening of their policies, and eventual goal of ending internation adoptions.

[RedOakMomma]

--it was an American athlete? How embarrassing!

I heard a piece on NPR this morning about China's one child policy and the gender imbalance it's causing. There's a suggestion by one of the interior ministers that families with female babies be given a government pension...

Makes me wonder if government pensions will also be given for couples who adopt girls domestically in China.

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

--it was an American athlete? How embarrassing!
.

No. It was American Bryant Gumbel who said, "Korea's greatest export is their children". I put the kibosh on adoptions for awhile. In fact, many infants who had already been matched with overseas parents (it's not just Americans who adopt) were disrupted. The adoptions finally did take place, but the children were a bit older by the time the adotions were finally finalized.

[queencarr]

No. It was American Bryant Gumbel who said, "Korea's greatest export is their children".

you're right--I knew that something didn't sound right, but I didn't fact check before I posted. Thanks! I remember even as a kid how embarrassed I felt when he said it.