Many of us blindly take for granted what we have in our lives. When we wake up with a roof over our heads, food of the table, and a family around us, we forget that there are many children without such things. These children are our own neighbors: in our neighborhood and communities. We, as a country, need to take a stand to give these kids the the life they deserve in America, the country of opportunities. Domestic adoption, or adoption within the means of our own country, should be first action you take when looking to adopt, instead of adopting internationally.
In the year 2004, 22,991 foreign children were dopted through international agencies and in 2011, only 9,319 children were adopted from another country (Rosman). What has caused this sudden drop? American parents that adopt internationally are suddenly realizing the consequences. China, Russia, and Guatemala used to be the top three international adoption countries. The children they sent to the U. S. made up 70% of all Intercountry Adoptions and in 2004, the percentage dropped to 57%. These countries have begun to notice that they are losing their populations.
The countries, especially China, has attempted to promote domestic adoption instead of international. U. S. Citizens should adopt within their own country to prevent confusion on cultural identity, put an end to international agencies taking advantage of American money, and to help American orphans who have nowhere to go. People who are planning to adopt internationally may claim that it takes children away from bad situations. It often has a smaller wait time as well for adopters wanting quickly add a member to their family or to strat on of their own.
They strongly believe that it is a practice of good morals, but wouldn’t offering your love and home to any child in need be an act of kindness as well, egardless of where they come from? Children are in need of a loving family and home all across our nation. Many are growing older, soon to be left on their own in a world they had little knowledge of. Before we start saving the children of the world, we should start with the children of America. When people from the United States wish to adopt, they should opt more towards adopting within their own country instead of from others.
If a foreign child is adopted internationally and forcefully taken away from the surroundings they know as “home”, they will become disoriented on their wn cultural identity. When children are young, they must discover themselves and understand who they are as a person. Many times, this is a struggle. Parents are an important influencing factor in this discovery. Because international adoption agencies look for caucasian married couples, the adopting parents cannot connect to racism and being a minority, meaning that the adoptee will not be prepared in the future.
The University of Minnesota discovered that children that have a different race than their parents are often placed in a “transracial adoption paradox”. This idea simplifies to the fact hat within the family, the child is considered to be caucasian by the family, but outside in the real world become racial minorities (Harf et al). The “color-blind” approach is a recommended way of parenting, which is where the adopters treat their adopted children as equally as possible, trying to ignore their race or culture (Miller).
While this may work 50% of the time, it is not the best way to introduce culture to the child. The child will have no background information on their identity and will not have enough facts to defend themselves against discrimination. If the parents are not prepared to take on the esponsibility of introducing both the child’s birth culture and their new American culture, international adoption is not the best route to take. An adopting parent must have positive attitudes on all cultures because children need someone to talk to about their new and old culture without being biased (Oesterile).
The Minnesota International Adoption Project Team states that “.. [children] may begin to experience feelings of loss of birth culture and family history and the growing awareness of racism and discrimination in their everyday lives” (Lee et al). The organization claims through research that internationally dopted children can feel confused and frustrated by the fact that they no longer have a way to access both their family and cultural history.
With this in mind, it has been discussed that “a feeling of loss” is the seed for depression, low self esteem, and suicidal thoughts. 0% of parents that adopt outside of the country believe that keeping in touch with their child’s cultural identity is important, however only 70% follows through with activities (Miller). Adopting within someone’s own country will help to prevent a child from becoming lost and unprepared for their life. When a child is not given enough background nformation on their own identity, they are forced to make one on their own. They don’t know what is true and what is not true.
By adopting within America, the parents are given more information on the child’s history and can explain the American culture because they have the same or similar heritage. Imagine you want to adopt a child from out of the country to complete a family, but not getting the child you wished for. How would you feel? Cheated? Uncertain? Taken advantage of? This is what international adoption agencies do to families. International adoptions cannot be trusted and we should adopt nside of our country because they are more reliable.
In many other countries, owning or running an orphanage can be a profitable business and it cannot always be trusted. But you know what can? Foster homes right here in America. International agencies in foreign countries cannot be trusted for many reasons. Firstly, when a person donates money toward the adoption agency, the foreign donations are going toward the owner. The money will profit the owner and their own self benefit while the children are victims of sexual abuse, organ harvesting, and illegal adoption (Ahern). On top of this, the overnment of that country will not oversight the unlicensed orphanages (Ahern).
A UNICEF child-protection worker said that “Ghana has become a business enterprise, a highly lucrative and profitable venture” (Ahern). This is why these agencies cannot be trusted. Additionally, there is a decrease in business within America because of the financial trouble they are in. These types of agencies, even in America, are shutting their doors. By 2008, 15% have shut down (Frosch). The reason for this is because it people are using orphanages for foreign children as a money making scam. The owners promise the adopters their hild and give them tons of fees to pay.
Once they have paid their fees, the orphanages “claim” that they have shut down, not giving a penny back to the adopters and not providing the child (Frosch). A UNICEF child-protection worker said that “Ghana has become a business enterprise, a highly lucrative and profitable venture” (Ahern). Therefore, the international agencies definitely cannot be trusted at all. Some agencies have been caught and went to court. But in the end, agencies have stolen more than one million dollars from people adopting from Eastern Europe (Frosch). Agencies also steal money through fees.
The range for international adoption is from 25,000 to 50,000 dollars (Williams). The problem with these agencies is that adopters spend a large amount for fees and the fees vary because of the child (Williams). Or if there is a problem with the biological parent of the baby, the fees somehow become more expensive. This is important because after the adopter has paid all of the money and extra, the agency still cannot guarantee the child (Williams). They say there might be problems with the actual mother such as if she wants to keep the baby last minute or a miscarriage.
It is almost impossible to get your money back once ou have paid. As you can see, international adoption agencies cannot be trusted, even in America. However, the agencies that deal with American children such as foster homes are more secure and thorough. Foster care is a program which children have been born to abusive, unstable, or ignorant mothers. Congress passed laws to encourage foster care by “including an income tax credit, subsidized medical care, and regular support payment for less affluent adoptive parents” (Zill).
This is different than the other foreign agencies because the money is definitely going to the children, towards their well-being. Adopting from ithin our own country and foster care is efficient and you know where your money is going. Calculated money shows that nine million dollars go to the Social Security Act alone (Zill). More money is spent for the children such as food, stamps, cash welfare, care payments and some of the money helps support the families that care for these children (Zill).
In order to keep American money safe, domestic adoption is best to keep children safe and stop foreign agency owners from abusing the given donations Before looking internationally to adopt, people should turn their attention to the orphans in America, our own country. Roughly 120,000 orphans reside within our nation, waiting to be adopted. (“Children statistics”). Despite these numbers, many turn a blind eye to this issue with the intent of adopting internationally instead of domestically. The stories of how these children became orphans are all different, but their situation is the same.
They are in need of a family that will offer them their love and help them to grow so that they will be able to enter the world as a confident adult. Without this, they may never be given the opportunity of experiencing parental guidance and love. They may live the rest of their lives without a “father figure” r a “nurturing mother” to help guide them. Later on in life, if they have children of their own, they may feel lost as to how to raise them. By the age of 18, if these children aren’t taken in, they no longer have their needs provided for by the welfare system (“Children Statistics”).
From that point on, they are expected to provide for and support themselves with the little experience they have of the world. They have spent a portion of their lives within the foster care system. They have a different view of the world than other children with a different life situation. Sadly, this often doesn’t carry a positive outcome. To begin with, some haven’t yet graduated from high school. Furthermore, nearly 25% of these aged out orphans lacked a GED (“Children statistics”).
Even if they have gained a high school diploma, it may be hard to continue on into college due to financial trouble. Because of this, many lack a college degree (‘After 18, Foster Kids Face tough Road Ahead”). For those who have care takers, many of these issues are ones we are not familiar with. Our guardians provide for us our education, food, and other essential needs. Unlike us, theses foster kids are being thrown into these immense responsibilities, ready or not (“After 18. Foster Kids Face tough Road Ahead”). Furthermore, many make the wrong decisions.
In an article published by The Huffington Post, Bill Baccaglini states, “Unable to manage on their own, with none of the support systems in place, they end up homeless, or turn to drugs and crime… “(Baccaglini). When these young adults feel as if they have no other option, they turn to drastic measures. Being an orphan is not a factor for such behavior. Many are simply trying to support themselves. Selling drugs is one of many ways to earn a profit along with stealing. If they have been deprived of further education, a stable job or any at all, and a roof over their head, the options for their future diminish.
Our nation needs to help their youth. In order to do so, we need to give these foster kids a better chance to show just how great they are and how much they can contribute to the world. Giving a family to the children without one is the first step. Domestic adoption is deemed to be the best option due to a child’s confused cultural identity, international agencies abusing American money, and decreasing the chances of an American hild finding a home all of which are involved within international adoption.
Forcefully taking a child away from their birth home can have drastic effects on a child’s emotional state, including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Parents that adopt these children may not be prepared to take on the responsibilities that come with introducing the child to both of their cultures, old and new. The money you put into international agencies do not go toward the agency or country, but the owner for their self-benefit. However, the money you put into foster care right here in America will be spent towards the children and their future lives.
Additionally, international adoption costs so much more than adopting from foster care. Furthermore, within our nation’s borders, many foster children are in need of a welcoming family. Choosing to adopt domestically will reduce the amount of children who are left on their own in our country. Adopting within America will not only benefit the American children in need, but will give an example to other foreign countries to help their own children.
