Abstract
Over the past few decades, America has fostered many international children in its orphanages. Many children come from foreign countries in Africa and Europe, are brought into the country through illegal means, and become victims of human trafficking. Parents who wish to adopt foreign children have to go through a process involving complex rules and uncertain situations after adoption; ethical, political, and cultural problems arise for U.S. parents who wish to complete their families through adoption. Parents must follow ethical standards and conduct thorough research before adopting foreign children.
Introduction
Over the course of the last ten years, more than 15,000 children were adopted internationally in the United States each year; the dilemma of child trafficking and deregulation persists. The corruption in the adoption of international children is a serious problem for society; that is why some countries have banned the adoption of foreign children to avoid this situation. Moreover, a large number of children live in foster care in the United States, and many people want the United States to ban the foreign adoption of children from neighboring countries as well. Americans do not like to talk about the issue of racism, and the practice of foreign adoption also makes people uncomfortable.
After all, it was standard practice through much of the 20th century that adoptive parents hid the fact from their children. Is international adoption an ethical business? It is becoming a business for people in the United States and many other countries on different continents, but the question arises: How ethical is this whole process? Are people helping the young boys and girls or not doing much to help them in the name of adoption? How many people take the services of professional lawyers to facilitate the legal and ethical process of foreign adoption? Many people in the United States decide to adopt children who are brought to America through legal and illegal ways; adoption seems to be the only solution for parents who want to complete their family. Many of them make contact with agencies that provide foreign children for adoption. Once they can motivate the child and the authorities, they can bring the child home and forget about having no biological child.
The Foreign Adoption Costs
In countries like the United States, it is common for people to incorporate children of relatives into their homes as well. According to the United States Department of State, Almost 19% of all children adopted from abroad and taken to the U.S. come from Ethiopia. It costs up to $25,000 to adopt a child from abroad. In contrast, Mr. Matthews says he paid roughly $300 for his in-country adoption. Also, courts sometimes require processing fees; governments of poorer countries like Ethiopia may see international adoption as a way to reduce their population of orphans.
Controversial Practice
According to the legal definition of the United Nations, an orphan child has one or more dead parents. It becomes an amazing moment for those children to get a new home and family to take care of them. Foreign adoption is a controversial practice; while many good parents want to adopt children from foreign countries, political, cultural, religious, and racial problems related to this practice still exist, making it difficult to address. In fact, it is a practice of aggression to take a child into adoption from another culture who does not know anything about American culture. African children are a good example, as they may be unfamiliar with American culture and ways of life (“5 Ways to Ensure Your International Adoption Is Ethical,” 2018).
By practice, adoption is not a negative thing; it is a healthy practice to provide love and shelter to homeless children living in foster homes. However, the adoption business has become so lucrative that businesspeople may not put the interests of these poor children first; they see them as secondary to their own interests.
There is a great need to monitor foreign adoptions in the United States because many children suffer due to injustice and the practice of child labor. Many children become legal adults after adoption but still cannot feel at home with their new culture and family. Some parents, however, describe adoption as having become the most wonderful experience of their lives. They love their children beyond their wildest dreams and make sense of foreign adoption.
How To Ensure Adoption is Ethical?
Deciding to adopt a child internationally is difficult because a family may have little knowledge of the ethical considerations surrounding this practice. Choosing a child and a country where he or she belongs is a difficult process. Firstly, the parents must choose a country that adheres to the conventional standards of the international child adoption process. A child in a poor country is often overlooked by governments and agencies that fail to meet standards of adoption and care. The second most important thing to consider while adopting an international child is choosing an agency carefully. It is always better for the parents to choose a transparent company to know about the details of fees, the child adoption process, and deadlines (Voigt, 2018).
Most families do not care about asking about the child’s history; they suffer in the end due to problems in their family history and medical issues. It can become difficult later to live with a child who has medical problems and psychological illnesses that were not known at the time of adoption. Children who are victims of poverty often do not have good health; they may come from broken families and may not like their new country or parents. Doing the appropriate research before adopting a foreign child is a wise choice.
Parents must read everything about the country or place from which their newly adopted child is coming. It is beneficial for the future of children and parents to learn the history and legitimate adoption process to avoid child trafficking. There are many nuances and difficulties in international adoption; Black and White children from foreign countries are not the same. Therefore, it is always good to talk to other parents with adoption experience to get proper guidance. Families who can create a bond with their children are the ones who carefully choose an agency and conduct their research properly.
Child Trafficking
Many children under 19 are sent to the United States and foreign countries for the sake of education but find themselves victims of the child trafficking industry. These children are illegally kidnapped and never allowed to become independent upon their arrival. Legal and ethical problems related to this issue are widespread, as international adoption is becoming more difficult because of child trafficking.
Conclusion
It is always a good practice to adopt an international child who is a victim of hunger and poverty. Still, the desire to adopt foreign children from other nations is an even more complex and unethical process when adoption agencies are negligent and adoptive parents are unaware of the risks. Most poor families in African countries are deceived into giving their children for adoption to provide them with a better life. Still, they unfortunately may become victims of child traffickers who sell them for profit without caring about their future or needs (Bascom & McKelvey, 1997).
Families that desire to adopt a child internationally through legal means must be very careful to conduct research before completing the process. Most parents are not able to form a bond with internationally adopted children due to cultural differences and social issues; they become disappointed when they find out that their newly adopted son or daughter was stolen from their original parents. UNICEF places greater emphasis on keeping children in their home countries to avoid child trafficking. For many families, international adoption becomes a false choice.
References
5 Ways To Ensure Your International Adoption Is Ethical. (2018). Adoption.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018, from https://adoption.com/5-ways-to-ensure-your-international-adoption-is-ethical
Bascom, B., & McKelvey, C. (1997). The complete guide to foreign adoption. New York: Pocket Books.
Cite a Website – Cite This For Me. (2018). Msass.case.edu. Retrieved 10 February 2018, from https://msass.case.edu/downloads/vgroza/fall2004/ethicalissues.pdf
Eliot, G. (2016). The mill on the Floss. New York: Open Road Integrated Media.
Kevin Voigt, C. (2018). International adoption: Saving orphans or child trafficking?. CNN. Retrieved 10 February 2018, from https://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/16/world/international-adoption-saving-orphans-child-trafficking/index.html
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