I received a questionnaire from my book publisher that said, “There’s a lot of controversy surrounding international adoption. What do you say to people who believe that children from another country should not be adopted by Americans?“

The question didn’t surprise me because people ask me that a lot. My answer remains the same: I ask that they focus on what’s best for the child. Approximately 145 million children worldwide are living and dying in orphanages or on the streets, with no possibility of finding homes in their own country. Many will die, or if they survive, will reach adulthood so damaged by their experience, so deprived of parenting, education, and other essential opportunities, that they will be unable to function as adults in the realms of family and work. Countless studies by developmental psychologists and pediatricians prove that a child thrives best as part of a family, wherever that family comes from. Adoptions in Guatemala have been closed to Americans for two years now, and there has been no increase in adoptions of orphans by Guatemalans. There are simply more orphans. Instead of criticizing international adoption, people might better focus their energy on solving the problem of children living alone in the world, and figuring out how to give them the best chance in life. (more…)

ShareThis