Paula Zahn and CNN Try Again on China Adoption

Adoption Friends:

Tonight CNN and Paula Zahn showed that our voices were heard when "Paula Zahn Now" aired a follow-up to the "Adoption Prejudice" segment from last Friday - a segment that so many of us found deeply offensive (see my previous blog, Shame on You, Paula Zahn and CNN).

Paula Zahn started the segment by stating, "We've been flooded with your emails, thousands of them since our segment on Friday". That should come as no surprise. It was, and still is, hard for me to believe that Paula Zahn and CNN could have hosted a segment about Chinese adoption that was so uninformed, so unbalanced, and so insensitive. However, tonight's segment thankfully had a different tone, and included a representative from the adoption community, David Youtz, President Greater NY Chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC).

For example, on Friday, panelist Solangel Moldando stated, "that there are many more Americans, many more westerners, seeking to adopt children from China then there are children available." However, tonight correspondent John Vause reported from Beijing that, "No one knows for certain just how many children in China don't have a family." In my previous blog I noted the estimated ranged between 500,000 and 2 million.

On Friday, panelist Rolland Martin stated, "What's the big deal about Chinese Children ... Maybe they think they can adopt a smart kid that can grow up to be a doctor." Tonight, John Vause reported, "According to the US State Department, almost 7,000 Chinese kids found new homes in the United States, the most number of adoptions by any one country. And the main reason for that is this system is centrally controlled, and that means it's relatively efficient, it's predictable, and everyone knows the rules. And when those rules change, it may mean that a family somewhere will miss out on giving one of these kids a new home and a new life." Yes, that's it. That's what we were talking about.

I give credit to Paula Zahn and CNN for bringing the subject up again and trying to present a more balanced view, and especially for giving David Youtz a chance to tell the adoptive parent's side of the story. However, I was once again dismayed that the motives of at least some adoptive parents were impugned when Paula Zahn asked him, "Do you concede, though, that some of the stereotypes that they [Friday's panel] addressed do exist amongst some Americans?" David Youtz answered, "No, I don't think so. The key point here is that what parents in the United States want to do is form a family, and race is really not what's going on."

Why is it that we continue to try to keep looking for the worst in mankind in something as wonderful as adoption? Can't we just celebrate all adoption and do what we can to encourage more? Every adoption that matches a child with loving parents is a good adoption, and why should we question it? Aren't they all God's children? I simply don't understand.

Two of Friday's panelists returned to clarify their remarks. Roland Martin said, "We were talking about people who do adopt based upon stereotypes and we were criticizing those stereotypes. He continued, "So if someone was offended by it, I'm sorry they were offended by these stereotypes. The key is are we being honest to how people adopt? There are people, frankly, that may be more comfortable adopting a Chinese child versus an African-American or Hispanic child, and if the issue is again streamlining the process in America, we can work towards streamlining that. But just to say that it's easier to do there than here, well you really have to question that because other people have done it and they are really fine with their choices in America."

Cenk Uygur said, "Was I overbroad in saying that in, implying in my one sentence that was the sole factor? Absolutely. I was overboard to the sense of being wrong. I think there are a lot of factors involved [in adoption]. I think there are a lot of great people who do adoption for many good reasons, and God bless them for it."

While I still may not agree with the opinions of Roland Martin and Cenk Uygur, I respect them for returning to the program.

However, notably absent without explanation was Solangel Maldonado (Seton Hall University School of Law) who was also on Friday's panel. I did a web search to see if perhaps Ms. Maldonado or Seton Hall University had published any retractions or clarifications to her remarks and was unable to find any. However, I did find an abstract of a paper written by Ms. Maldonado titled, discouraging Racial Preferences in Adoptions, that states in part, "She proposes that the law discourage international adoptions based on racial preferences by requiring that Americans seeking to adopt internationally, while there are available children in the United States who meet their non raced based criteria, show non-race-based reasons for going abroad." Would the children of the world, including those in the United States, be served by us passing such a law? Is this type of law really in the spirit of what it means to be an American?

Near the end of the segment Paula Zahn said to Ginny Gong of the Organization of Chinese Americans, "The bottom line here is clearly that our panel struck a nerve. Are you satisfied with both Rolland's and Cenk's explanation? That what this simply was a discussion about stereotypes that people have had for a very long time about adopting various races of babies?" Ms. Gong replied, "I don't know if the issues was that I'm satisfied, because certainly it's the parents that it really hit a nerve with. For me, creating a family is a very difficult decision to make."

Ms. Gong, I couldn't agree more. It certainly did hit a nerve with adoptive parents. Adoption is a very long and difficult journey. It requires many leaps of faith. And, to me, it brings out the best in all of us. Let's not find ways to find fault with children finding forever families. Let's celebrate every adoption. However, let's not rest until every child who needs a family has found a home.

It's my hope and prayer that the emails that so many of us have written might inspire Paula Zahn and CNN to find a way to use their network to help more people who are considering adoption make the leap of faith and adopt a child, either domestically or internationally, so that more children - God's children - can find homes.

Robin Bartko