Removing children during times of disaster is not new. We saw this with Operation Babylift after the Vietnam War, where the American government hurriedly removed almost 3,000 children from their homeland during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Lawsuits between birth parents and adopted parents tied up U.S. courts for years. Birth parents claimed they never consented to the adoption, and adoptive parents claimed the adoption was legitimate. Critical adoption theorists are seeing parallels with the current rushed adoption of Haitian children. Author and former director of the American Adoption Congress, Mirah Riben, discusses the situation of adoption in Haiti, and argues that what these children need is time for relief workers to search for their families, not to be sent away from their homes and lives during already traumatic times.
ADOPTING HAITIAN
ORPHANS: Saving Children or
Repeating Unsuccessful History?
By Mirah Riben
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010 CONDUCIVE
Former U.S. President William Clinton said of Haiti:
“Haiti is completely unique in our hemisphere because of its history and culture. Haitian children taken for transnational adoption to predominantly white, foreign speaking cultures are at risk of losing this rich legacy described in the Time article, their heritage. Because nearly half of Haiti’s population is less than 18 years of age, those left behind risk losing the nation’s future in addition to all that has already been taken from them by Mother Nature.
Jeanne Howard, co-director of the Center for Adoption Studies at Illinois State University, notes in the Chicago Tribune that “[m]ost societies, no matter how desperately poor, cherish their children and it is a huge loss to them to have their children removed.” On an individual basis, the loss of a child to adoption is irrevocable.
Howard recognizes “[o]ur human impulse to rescue is a profound one and an honorable one” but we nonetheless need to exercise caution because rescue efforts, albeit inadvertently, “can often compound the losses that children and cultures experience.”
Restraint will be critical as we are overwhelmed with the enormity of a reported 380,000 “orphans” in Haiti prior to the devastating earthquake – a number that will likely escalate. What is not widely known or understood is that many of those labeled “orphans” because they were residing in orphanages, even temporarily, have relatives. Children can still be categorized as orphans even if they have living parents. To care about these children is to allow relief workers the time necessary to properly identify their kin. They and their families deserve no less.
Governments will hopefully adhere to the guidelines of child expert non governmental organizations, such as UNICEF and SOS Children. There remains, however, long term risk of hastingly scooping up children. There are, for example, those like Margaret Fleming, executive director and child welfare supervisor at Adoption-Link, Illinois, who believes it is “ludicrous” not to allow would-be parents and other groups to do whatever they can to rescue those in need.
Allowing individuals and churches to rush through the adoption process violates of the most basic tenet of adoption: it should be in the best interest of the children, not those seeking them, even if the seekers have the best of intentions. As many have cautioned, if you have not considered adoption prior to this emergency, now is not the time to embark upon such an enormous, permanent, life-altering decision. Animal shelters warn against impulse adoption, often occurring at holiday times, well aware that far too many of the adorable kittens, puppies, and bunny rabbits that tugged at our heart strings during sentimental times wind up abandoned.
Some of the many issues to consider is preparedness to deal with the issues of interracial/international adoption and familiarity with the difficulties of adopting older children. Will those eager to adopt know how to allow these children to properly grieve the massive emotional and cultural losses they have experienced and heal from the trauma? How will they handle children who may be unable to bond or show affection? Experience indicates that jumping into adoption, especially of children who have been institutionalized or have other special needs, can have devastating effects on ill-equipped families and result in disrupted adoptions, creating yet another loss for children.
Many religious groups vying to “save” the “orphans” have their own religious agenda, which in the case of Haiti would mean a loss of heritage for these adopted children. Adoption agencies use altruistic rescue language to mask their real motivation: that their business is the redistribution of children. Both for- and non-profit adoption agencies rely solely on the fees of international adoption to pay their overhead and salaries. Many are struggling to remain in business at a time when adoptions are dwindling from places such as China, and domestically, in addition to adoptions being suspended in Vietnam, and Guatemala due to reported corruption and child trafficking.
President Barack Obama, writing about “Why Haiti Matters,” said: “When we show not just our power, but also our compassion, the world looks to us with a mixture of awe and admiration.”
One can only hope we will approach Haiti’s children with compassion and dignity, leaving a legacy of a thoughtful, caring, honorable, respectful America. The rule of thumb to apply is to consider how you would want to be treated if faced with such a tragedy. Haitians need medical assistance, food, water, supplies, and help to rebuild. Many children may need temporary foster care. International adoption provides assistance for the children but at a great price to them as well as to the world image of America. We need to act with great care to ensure we do no harm in our haste to help, and do not leave a legacy of ourselves as entitled, ethnocentric, exploiting, ugly Americans.
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Mirah Riben is author of The Stork Market: America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry (2007) AdvocatePublications.com. She is former director of the American Adoption Congress and past Vice President of Communications, Origins-USA, Inc.
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