| More than any other country, American Couples turn | | | | the institutional care offered in many other countries |
| to China when adopting. Since 1992 American families | | | | such as Russia. |
| have brought nearly 50,000 Chinese orphans into their | | | | Everyone has heard the nightmarish stories of |
| hearts and homes. Why adopt? Why China? | | | | adoptive hopefuls traveling to Russia three, four, |
| The adoption question is an easy one. Americans | | | | even five times, spending untold amounts of time |
| thrive on family life. Many couples, unable to grow | | | | and money only to come back empty handed, |
| their family through more traditional means, find | | | | broken-hearted, and with no satisfactory explanation |
| themselves faced with choosing between medical | | | | from the host country governmental agencies. Not so |
| solutions and adoption. The medical rout is often | | | | with adoption from China. |
| physically and emotionally draining, always expensive, | | | | The United States and China have enjoyed |
| and rarely guaranteed. While adoption presents its | | | | longstanding governmental cooperation regarding U.S. |
| share of emotional and financial challenges, its results | | | | citizen adoption of Chinese orphans resulting in a |
| can be more predictable, especially when the | | | | smooth, streamline and very affordable adoption |
| adoption is from China. | | | | process, overseen by the China Center of Adoption |
| Why China? The reasons are numerous, starting with | | | | Affairs (CCAA). |
| availability. There are many orphans available for | | | | The CCAA severs all parental rights to Chinese |
| adoption in China. In the 1970s, China implemented a | | | | orphans prior to making the child available for |
| family planning policy. The policy, legally limiting the | | | | adoption, so there is virtually no waiting period. Only |
| number of children allowed per couple, has been very | | | | one trip to China is required for adoptive couples and |
| effective in helping to reverse their dire poverty | | | | within days of arriving, they become responsible for |
| rates. A side effect of the policy - a sharp increase in | | | | the care of the child. Adoptions are finalized in China |
| the number of Chinese orphans. | | | | within a very short time period if both adoptive |
| You would think that with poverty issues, Chinese | | | | parents are present. China touts their tried and true |
| orphans would be at a higher risk for health problems. | | | | procedure of matching children with eligible parents |
| Not so. Chinese orphans have been found to be very | | | | based on compatibility characteristics rather than |
| healthy. Harvard University recently conducted a | | | | birth-mothers selecting the adoptive couple. |
| study which showed that the orphans in China are | | | | And finally, the Chinese government has made it safe |
| significantly healthier than their other-country | | | | for Americans traveling to China to adopt. They have |
| counterparts. Most Chinese birth-mothers live simple | | | | imposed strict laws and serious consequences which |
| country or farm lives with little or no exposure to | | | | protect visiting couples as well as all foreign tourists. |
| drugs and crime. Once given up for adoption, China | | | | American families seeking their newest hand to hold, |
| provides its orphans with individualized care versus | | | | look to China and are rewarded. |