| The life of a child needs to be stable. The process of | | | | Charities like Chinese Children Adoption International |
| growing up, for anyone, is far from simple, and when | | | | are helping US-based families to adopt a Chinese child. |
| complications beyond the ordinary are added it only | | | | Of the thousands of Chinese children adopted by |
| makes things more difficult. There can be no denying | | | | American families each year 8000, in total have been |
| that even in the most stable democracy with a | | | | arranged by CCAI -- giving these children an amazing |
| wealthy population, growing up can be fraught with | | | | opportunity to grow up among a family which would |
| difficulties. So in nations like China, where there is a | | | | have been denied them otherwise. The Chinese |
| law limiting families to one child, the prospective | | | | government, which maintains the one child policy |
| difficulties are multiplied. If a child is conceived and | | | | through fear of overcrowding in a nation of more |
| carried to term there is a very real chance of it being | | | | than a billion people, is keen to aid the cause of |
| put up for adoption, especially if it is a girl. | | | | families looking to adopt, and now very gladly works |
| Consequently there is an additional complication that | | | | with CCAI to enable the adoption of children who |
| confuses the life of a Chinese child. The added | | | | have been abandoned, orphaned or put up for |
| complication in the life of someone so young is not a | | | | adoption from a Chinese family who may have fallen |
| welcome occurrence. | | | | foul of the policy. |
| Naturally, because of the one child policy, adoption | | | | The existence of groups like CCAI is something |
| inside China is, if not rare, less common than | | | | which makes the entire situation a lot more |
| elsewhere. The law as it is does not prevent every | | | | manageable for all involved. They are able to vet the |
| Chinese couple from having more than one child, but | | | | adopting family to ensure that their home |
| prevents more than one child per family in urban | | | | environment is an adequate place in which to bring up |
| areas. There is an exception to the policy for parents | | | | a child, and judge the compatibility of a child and a |
| who have no siblings themselves and also for ethnic | | | | family. They also enable the potential adopters to |
| minorities. Nonetheless there is a continuing policy of | | | | make their way through what often seems to be a |
| discouraging mass breeding in China, and as a result a | | | | maze of paperwork, as well as liasing with the |
| lot of children are put up for adoption. As the one | | | | government to ensure that the children are going to |
| child policy makes their chances of being adopted by | | | | good homes. It is a service that is more than worth |
| a domestic family more remote, they need to rely on | | | | its weight in gold for the adoptive parents and |
| adoption from abroad - which these days increasingly | | | | especially the children, for whom an already |
| means adoption by an American family. | | | | complicated life is made at least somewhat simpler. |