The Pros And Cons Of International Adoption

International adoption is popular in this day and age. People adopt children from a vast number of places such as Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, Ethiopia etc. Well known celebrities like Madonna, Brad and Angelina Pitt have adopted children from other countries. Many people think that international adoption means saving the children however, people are unaware of what goes on behind closed doors of these adoptions. International Adoption should be reformed due to child abduction, laundering funds and culture impairment.
International agencies abduct children to sell them off to potential parents. Organizations often promote that orphans need saving, but a portion of the children are not orphans. According to Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection children who live with their families in poverty are captured and put into children's homes to later be sold (Par 10). It has been told that the biologically fathers and mothers are unfit or abusive to their children which is not always true. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection finds “In Guatemala, considered the country with the most egregious violation of adoption policies over the longest period of time, parents reported having their children stolen from them at gunpoint” (Par 11). Also “orphanages” is
another form of boarding schools in many countries for parents who are unable to provide for their children financially or need child care. Kids are sent to reside at an “orphanage” to receive food and education, but are not signed off to become adopted or so they thought (Cherot Par 11). International Adoptions comments that Families discover their children have been adopted even though legally they have not signed any paper work (Par 13). Greenblatt addresses “For example, after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the New Life Children's Refuge, a Christian group from Idaho, tried to take 33 Haitian children — some who were not orphans — to neighboring Dominican Republic without official permission.” Parents are left wondering where their child has gone.
Falsified information doesn’t stop there; agencies launder money from future adoptive parents to expand profit.
Freidmutter argues “U.S. families who adopt internationally are generally told by their agencies to carry substantial amounts of cash abroad to pay fees, a dangerous and sometimes illegal practice” (Par 3) . Eleven percent of people had to pay excess amount fees to the agency facilitator. (Freidmutter Par 3). Fourteen Percent stated their adoption cost more than the agency told them it would. (Freidmutter Par 7). Throughout the process there are a series of payments; such as donations, travel and foreign cost (Graff Par 4). Foreign countries promote swindling of charges in order to boost their
economy.
As a result of these adoptions every so often children experience culture impairment. In other words due to moving from their birth country; adoptees feel identity loss in their new environment. Are their past lives meant to be forgotten? Who are they supposed to be? A few adoptees are divided into whether they should conform to their new lifestyle or not. There may changes in race, culture, religion and traditions. Kim Young-gyo "Adoption does not only affect me as an adoptee, but it also affects my family—my husband and children. My children do not have their grandparents in South Korea, and they lost their part of the Korean culture, too," she said (Young-gyo Par 14). The lack of racial education or connection to “ home” culture can be detrimental.