Is There a Chinese Baby Shortage?

With new regulations taking place, the China adoption process has been getting much press. I wanted to let you know about an article that appeared in the January 23, 2007 edition of the New York Times, "The Mystery of the Chinese Baby Storage", written by Beth Nonte Russel (an adoptive parent of two children from China).

This article discusses the controversy regarding the alledged shortage of Chinese children available for adoption. Beth Nonte Russel discusses the issues with Dr. Patrick Mason, an international adoption doctor. When Ms. Russel expresses her concern to Dr. Mason regarding her fear that China could shut down for adoptions, Dr. Mason stated, “The number of orphans is just too great.”

After having traveled overseas to adopt my youngest son, I now see the world as Dr. Mason has. There are so many orphans worldwide needing homes and just not enough parents who are able to make the emotional and financial journey to do so. Believe me, when I held my new son in my arms and looked back at his orphanage and saw all of the children remaining, it brought tears to my eyes. All this press about China not having enough children to adopt is just insane in my opinion. Yes, China is changing their rules on adoption. Unfortunately, fewer families will qualify to adopt from China. However, with international adoption, most countries do have qualifications that, whether we agree with them or not, do exist.

The article also mentions that China will host the Olympics in 2008 and are allowing foreign journalists. Let’s all hope that the journalists get the opportunity to show the reality of these orphanages and that adoption from China increases.

I remember that shortly after adopting my youngest a friend who had previously traveled all over of the world said to me, “That kid (implying my son) really hit the lottery getting you guys as a family”. I have to admit at first I thought this was somewhat of an unusual comment (and that we were the lucky ones to adopt him), but this friend knew the reality of the orphan situation in the world. There are so many more children in need of homes than families who adopt. If you go to the UNICEF web site, you can see the orphan epidemic is tragic. If you are considering adoption, I pray that you take the leap of faith and give one more child a forever home.

(Note: You can find the article on NYTimes.com by entering "The Mystery of The Chinese Baby Shortage" in the search box. Unfortunately, it appears that you may have to register for the free 14 day trial of NYTimes Select to view the entire article.)