No confirmed news today, but plenty of speculation. There are some indications that there is an internal conflict over what is seen as too heavy a workload. Driven by the popularity of the international adoption program, many offices are overwhelmed with cases to review and approve.
On the one hand, those concerned with cleaning up corruption may be appealing to the desire to decrease the volume of cases and reduce workload. On the other hand, those who feel that workloads are too high may be seizing on the corruption and ethics arguments to advance their case.
In reality, I am guessing that each group is advancing their own interest, and that is why I want to again call readers to prayer today. Since we don’t know what’s going on truly, let’s transform our speculations into prayers. It is fun to speculate–but let’s not linger there at the expense of true prayer on behalf of the kids of Ethiopia.
One topic I’ve been digging into lately is the viewpoints around adoption as part of a child’s human rights. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16.3 states:
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
It would truly be best if every child was raised in adequate and safe conditions by their birth family. I believe this is “Plan A.” And I also believe that child poverty grows when families are not protected and supported in their society. We intuit that the failure to protect the family fuels the rise of child
poverty, child labor, child soldiers, and child prostitutes. These dots
are not incredibly difficult to connect.
When Plan A is not possible, the prevailing idea is that a child should be placed as close to the birth family as possible. Think of them as degrees of separation from the birth parents.
- Birth Parents: Plan A
- 1st degree: Relative adoption by family members
- 2nd degree: Non-relative adoption within the child’s birth country
- 3rd degree: In-country foster care
- 4th degree: International non-relative adoption
- 5th degree: Institutionalization in an orphanage
- 6th degree: Child-headed households
- 7th degree: Homelessness / street children
There may be variations of those degrees, but the further out on that spectrum you go, the farther away from “Plan A” you get.
Since we’re talking about international adoption in Ethiopia, let’s look at one part of the controversy. I would recommend this entire article for your reading: International Adoption: Thoughts on Human Rights Issues. In it, the author offers this insightful observation:
By contrast [to relative adoption], in international adoption adoptive parents and children meet across lines of difference involving not just biology, but also socioeconomic class, race, ethnic and cultural heritage, and nationality. Typically the adoptive parents are relatively privileged white people from one of the richer countries of the world, and typically they will be adopting a child born to a desperately poor birth mother belonging to one of the less privileged racial and ethnic groups in one of the poorer countries of the world. International adoption is characterized by controversy. Some see it as an extraordinarily positive form of adoption. It serves the fundamental need for family of some of the world’s neediest children. The families formed demonstrate our human capacity to love those who are, in many senses, “other,” in a world which is regularly torn apart by the hatred of alien others. But many see international adoption as one of the ultimate forms of human exploitation, with the rich, powerful and white taking children from poor, powerless members of racial and other minority groups, thus imposing on those who have little what many of us might think of as the ultimate loss.
As both an adoptive father and an orphan care advocate, I appreciate the truth on both sides of this observation. On the one hand, you have children who are at “Degree 4″ and higher, for whom international adoption may be their best option for preserving their rights as a child to grow up in a safe and loving family environment.
Yet, with only about 12,000 international adoptions processed in the United States, we must remain honest with ourselves. Remember the story of the boy who walks the shoreline and sees thousands of washed up starfish? He begins throwing them back one by one. An “old man” says, “You’ll never make a difference, the problem is too big!” The boy tosses in another starfish and says, “It made a difference to that one.”
True. But many more died on the shoreline. The boy gave the ultimate solution to as many starfish as he could, but his solution did not match the enormity of the problem.
There are millions of children languishing in extreme poverty. If the average cost of international adoption was estimated at $25,000–it would represent the ultimate “starfish” solution. That $25,000 made a difference to that one.
Melissa Fay Greene, author of There is No Me Without You likened international adoption to one family throwing a lifeline to another family. She indicates–and I share this opinion–that international adoption cannot represent the whole solution for children suffering from poverty and disease. Much more must be done to meet current needs–and to address the root causes of systemic poverty faced by children and families.
We must work on all sides of this issue, and I see it in three parts:
- Supporting in-country solutions that reduce poverty and increase the stability and self-sufficiency of the family.
- Meeting needs where they are found through food, education, and health care programs (and so many others).
- When appropriate, when led by God, when hearing clearly from the Holy Spirit, we throw the lifeline of international adoption.
The question is not whether one is better than the other, or more effective, or more biblical. The question is, which of those three are you currently engaged in?
Knowing there is a problem and having the resources to help–but withholding them anyway–is the real problem. We will always need all three of these solutions. And sometimes countries like Ethiopia will have adoption programs, and other times they won’t. The needs will still be there if Ethiopia restricts their adoptions.
But if we–Christ-followers–are not present and fully active in all three realms, then we are doing a disservice to the least of these, which is in fact a disservice directly to the Christ we claim to follow.
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posted March 8, 2011 at 10:37 am
Thanks so much Tom, for this excellent post!
posted March 8, 2011 at 10:42 am
I totally agree with your post. In our family we are trying to encompass all 3 aspects of caring for children and their families. We started with sponsoring 2 children through Compassion International about 5 years ago. Then, 3 years ago, we chose an adoption agency that is dedicated to humanitarian work in the countries where it works. They provide programs for families and children to help keep families together…things like food, education, training, healthcare, etc. We then proceeded to adopt a little boy internationally from an orphanage in India. We continue to sponsor our 2 little girls, as well as supporting ministries that are actively involved in bringing change to children and families around the world where they live! Thank you for what you do!
posted March 8, 2011 at 11:03 am
Such an insightful post. Like you said, the problems in Ethiopia are far greater than any number of adoptions could solve. Much change is needed to relieve the suffering of Ethiopia’s people and children. As an adoptive mother, sponsor, orphan advocate and one that is currently waiting for our daughter to come home from Ethiopia, mountain moving prayers for this country and the adoption program is what is needed most right now.
posted March 8, 2011 at 11:53 am
WOW! Awesome thoughts, friend.
posted March 8, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tom. I agree that adoption can’t be THE only solution– the need is too great. I am so blessed to have my 6 adopted children in my life. But meeting some of their birth family has really hammered home to me the need to support families so that they can raise their children themselves. In many if not most cases that would be the best for all involved.
posted March 8, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I agree that it’s a complex situation, and I’m always relieved to hear other adoptive parents acknowledge that. So often adoptive parents only talk in terms of how their child has blessed them (true!), or about the dire future they would have faced (also true). But there’s a great well of losses involved too — and it’s vital that we recognize and serve the needs of millions who will never be adopted.
posted March 8, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Extremely insightful article. Thank you.
In response to the author you quoted from, adoption really is the only option for children who were literally abandoned and orphaned. Family members are unknown and w/o the option of internation adoption, growing up in and phasing out of an institution would be their story. For these children in particular do we need to work diligently to ensure that foreign adoption programs remain intact and functioning ethically & smoothly.
Still, I totally agree that, particularly as Christians, we need to be looking at all 3 aspects of this issue. Thank you again. There’s a lot to chew on here.
posted March 8, 2011 at 8:47 pm
We have adopted internationally three times…from three different countries.
Russia in 1998
China in 2004
Guatemala in 2008
We were PRAYING for God to show us where our next child was…He led my husband and I into the agreement that we are not to adopt again (though we both wanted too) but we are to pour ourselves, our family, and our finances into funding “bigger” projects than ONE starfish in the next season of our family.
Your article hits home with what God has called us too.
He CALLED us, without a doubt, to adopt the three times we did. We saw Him open doors for us and brings us through to the other side so many times during these journeys.
But…Now…He has us helping more than one family, more than one child, in more than one country.
Personally, I pray He leads us to adopt at least again … but .. until then ….we are funneling our personal selves and resources into helping Guatemalan and Indian orphans.
Andrea
posted March 8, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Thanks for those great words Tom and a summary of what the church should be doing in Orphan Care…all our churches.
Steve
posted March 9, 2011 at 5:38 am
I very much appreciate your comments in this article. As an international adoptee and a mother in the process of international adoption I honestly wish there were no need for it. Not because I had a terrible childhood nor because I don’t want to adopt but because if the world was not as poor and vulnerable as it is, there would be no need. When people ask me about the orphan crisis I try to inform them about ways to help the poverty in a country. It’s not about sending them a check but about what we can do to help their economy, their political freedom and saving them through Jesus Christ. Love your post here, thank you
posted March 9, 2011 at 12:23 pm
I appreciate you acknowledging that these are all rumors, Tom. I’m frustrated that there is no official word from everyone, but everyone is in such a tizzy – perhaps over something temporary and ultimately minor.
If my math is correct, less than one half of one percent of orphans in Ethiopia were adopted last year. Adoption is not the solution but for a very small number of starfish who “win the lottery” so to speak. Yet it is amazing how it is being scapegoated as though it were a contributing cause to the crisis instead of a rather small solution. Eradicating or minimizing adoption will do absolutely nothing to aid the scores of problems that already exist in Ethiopia, and I believe would have a negative response by taking the spotlight off of this country that has received a huge amount of attention and aid purely because of the Westerners adopting. It’s pretty hard to say you got your kid from Ethiopia without saying WHY.
An adoptive family’s trip to WalMart accomplishes more consciousness raising about the orphan crisis than the most extensive PR campaign.
It’s been a frustrating week for all of us. I just wish we could get some concrete answers.
posted March 11, 2011 at 12:52 pm
This is so well said, Tom. I agree wholeheartedly.
posted March 17, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Well said!
posted June 21, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Hi Mr. Davis,
I really like all you do to promote orphan care and adoption and end child slavery. Me and my brother were adopted by my parents from Liberia when I was 7 years old. I was the 5th degree for over 1 year. My parents still know my birth mom and I understand my adoption story. I agree with some of what you say but I don’t agree with you that my adoption was not plan A. I do not agree that adoption is God’s plan B. This is very important to me. I know that God values and loves me enough to not make my life about his plan B. My life is his plan A. And my adoption was part of his plan A from the start. The bible tells me that God knit me together in my birth mom’s womb and that he knows the plans he has for me. he knew these things before I was born. He planned it before I was born. We would never say that Joseph’s life was God’s plan B because God used his separation from his birth family to save God’s people, to save Joseph’s birth family. We would not say that Moses’ adoption was God’s plan B because we can see in the Bible that it was God’s plan A because God used it to save his people, Moses’ birth family. I don’t think it’s good to call my life God’s plan B. My sister was adopted from Liberia also. She has cerebral palsy and was very sick when we brought her home. Her adoption is God’s plan A and I think God will use her to save his people and me to save his people in the future. God does not make mistakes and he does not need a plan B. I love my birth mom and my parents love her too. She is God’s plan A too. My family does missions to Unreached people in Asia and I know I am a part of God’s plan A for them. We see the pain of children being sold because there is no adoption where we live. Please think about this because it is important. My little sister is adopted from foster care and she is plan A. Her birth parents are friends of our family now and we get to share Jesus with them, and that is God’s plan A. I hope to go back to Liberia when I get out of school and my parents want to take me there. Maybe God will use me to help my birth family and that will be God’s plan A. When I was adopted my parents would tell me a lot when I was growing up that even though there is painfulness and ugliness about adoption, and even though I would cry alot there is beauty in the depths and that for God to do what he wanted in my life and through my life, I had to be adopted. Because God makes no mistakes. I know that you are writing this because of Ethiopia because my family has good friends who are adopting from there.