Chinese Adoptions

The world's fourth largest country (after, Russia, Canada, and the U.S.), China is the nation most people turn to when they decide international adoption is the right way to build their family. From 1983 to 2002, Americans adopted 33,637 children from China.

China is a nation possessing a long and fascinating history - from being home to the most advanced bronze working civilization of the ancient world, to the invention of gunpowder and fireworks, to the famous (and infamous) such as Confucius, Kublai Khan, and Marco Polo, to the formation of the People's Republic - the history of China is indeed impressive. However, the part of this impressive history that is most important to parents investigating international adoption is their One Child Policy.

First, a bit of background to understand how the One Child Policy came about: In the 1950s, Mao Tse-Tung urged his people to have lots of children to strengthen the country. The population growth from this edict led the government in the 1970s to be worried that China would be unable to feed her citizens. So, the Chinese government implemented the One Child Policy in 1979.The goal of this policy was to keep China's population below 1.3 billion by the year 2000. Today, China is home to over 1.2 billion people. Couples who violate the One Child Policy are subject to fines (equal to three years' salary!), community ostracism, and even jail time.

Baby boys are more valued in Chinese society than are baby girls because boys carry on the ancestral name, inheritance laws pass property on to sons, and sons are responsible for taking care of aged parents. Because of this many couples will abandon a baby girls. A heartbreakingly cruel choice, yes, and an event that happens all too often – hundreds of thousands of baby girls are abandoned every year in China.

The babies are abandoned in public places (such as busy streets, railway stations, and in front of public buildings) so they will be found quickly. The babies are abandoned as infants - usually when they are only a few days old. In addition to little girls, handicapped babies and sick babies (both boys and girls) are also abandoned because most parents in China don't have the money to provide for their special needs. Once found, the abandoned babies are given a medical exam and then taken to orphanages.

What's Involved in Adopting a Child From China?

The government office responsible for adoptions in China is the Ministry of Civil Affairs, specifically the CCAA. Your adoption agency must submit adoption applications, along with dossiers, directly to the CCAA (in other words, your agency shouldn't use an intermediary). Once the application for adoption is approved, the CCAA will then match the application with a child whose paperwork has been forwarded to the CCAA by a provincial Civil Affairs Bureau. Once a child is identified, the CCAA will send a letter of introduction about the child, photographs, and a health record of the child through the U.S. adoption agency to the prospective adoptive parent(s). To finalize the adoption, the prospective adoptive parent(s) need to travel to China to complete the process.

American parents do not have to travel to Beijing for approval. The CCAA will have already forwarded a copy of the adoption approval notice to the province where the child resides. Americans adopting in China commonly meet with a notary in the provincial capital for an informal interview. (A Chinese notary is not the same thing as a Notary Public in the United States; a Chinese notary is an official with broad-ranging responsibilities.) A translator supplied by the Child Welfare Institute is usually present at the interview. Questions commonly asked of the prospective adoptive parent(s) include:

• Why are you adopting a Chinese child?
• Do you have any children now (either adopted or birth)?
• What is your family background?
• Why do you not have children?
• How can you assure us that the adopted child will be well treated?

After the interview is completed, the actual adoption and completion of the contract (including making a fixed "donation" of around $3,000 to $4,000 to the Children's Welfare Institute - this donation is NOT a bribe, but is required for the adoption and completion of contract), take place.

• Children Available: Healthy girls, infants through 6 years old. Older children and special needs children (both boys and girls) are also available for adoption from China.
• Parent Requirements: Parents must be at least 35 years old. Single adoptive parents (both women and men) are eligible to adopt from China. However, the total number of applications from singles is strictly limited and adoption by homosexuals is "not welcomed." Furthermore, single adopters may be asked to sign an affidavit stating that they are heterosexual.
• Travel Requirements: Travel is required for one parent, although both parents are strongly urged to travel. One trip is required; the trip length averages two weeks.
• Time Frame: From the time you fill out your initial application until you bring your child home averages about 18 to 20 months. Adoption of older and special needs children usually takes less time.
• Number of Children Adopted by Americans in 2002: 5,053
• Additional Information: The children available for adoption from China are in orphanages. Post placement reports and supervision are required for one year. Bear in mind that adoption is a sensitive subject in China.

Credits: Excerpted from "International Adoption Guidebook," by Mary Strickert