International Adoption: Americans Make a Choice
International adoptions were introduced after World War II when orphaned, foreign born children were adopted throughout the United States. According to the National Council for Adoption, foreign adoptions have nearly tripled since 1992. Even though the numbers have recently decreased, it is still a choice Americans continue to make.
Even with the decrease, there are reasons why Americans are making this choice. “It was the greatest rescue I have ever made.” stated an Ohio mother of twelve foreign adopted children. For some, rescuing a child from another country is very alluring. These foreign countries, such as ( highest poverty stricken country in the world) According to Peter Selman, an international adoption expert from Newcastle University and statistical adviser to the U.N. Hague Convention on international adoption, when China and Russia approved adoptions in the 1990s, 410,000 children were adopted by US citizens. More than 400,000 children were adopted by citizens of 27 countries between 2000 and 2010.
Attracting various Hollywood celebs over the years, several have spent thousands to get what they want. Also it is believed that International adoption is favored because of security reasons.
In December of 2010, the Missouri Department of Social Services reported over 14,000 children being in the Foster Care program and nearly 500,000 State wide. Some children remain in the system on the average, about three years. “The older they get the more behavioral problems they develop.” stated Conna Craig from the Institute for Children. She feels this is a growing concern for our country and our government needs to take notice. Over $10 million dollars of government funds are being spent each year on foster care. “The problem with foster care is not the level of government spending; it is the structure of that spending.” She says. With every foreign adoption, that’s one American child left in foster care. Instead of being adopted into loving homes they are being abused and neglected, looked over and forgotten. In a recent article by Jeff Jacoby from the Tampa Tribune, he states the Child Welfare Research Department claims a child is abused and or dies in Foster Care about every eight weeks. To me, this is alarming. Care givers are paid hundreds of dollars a month for each child and this desired