Why Chinese Adoptions Are Harder To Achieve, But Still Possible

Chinese Adoptions

Chinese adoptions have provided a consistent source of children for American parents to adopt for many years. Other countries also have systems which allow their citizens to adopt children from China, although many have stricter requirements than the USA. The system works for two reasons. Firstly, there are many thousands of Chinese children which the state is struggling to support. Many of them are orphans, while others are left without care because their parents are sick and unable to care for them. Secondly, there are many potential parents within America who want to adopt a child.

The great growth in international adoptions which has been witnessed during the past two decades has been due partly to the increase in children in need of adoption throughout the East and poorer countries, and partly to the ongoing need of parents in the West for children to adopt. Even though there are thousands of children born to American mothers every year for which no hope or support can be found within the immediate family, the supply is not enough to satisfy the demand from prospective parents.

Many of these parents have therefore looked to the overseas market, and in some jurisdictions where the law is especially lax they have been able to adopt children from the East with scarcely a formality. In the majority of cases, the laws have been tightened up to make sure that only those who are suitable parents can adopt a child from China. You will need to be prepared to make one visit to China itself before you can qualify as a parent to a Chinese child, and you will need to provide reports for a year after the adoption has happened.

This trade in young children, which has served both China and the West well for so many years, is now being reduced. There are many different theories as to why this is happening, some of them positive and some not. Many people have voiced the opinion that China is now better able to cope with the demands of orphaned and otherwise disadvantaged children, claiming that increased trade has meant better facilities at home. Other people claim the reason is simply political, with China uneasy at single mothers and same-gender couples being able to adopt children.

If you are still eager to take part in Chinese adoptions, the good news is that they are still happening. The laws were tightened in May 2007 to prevent unsuitable parents from adopting children, but as long as you can meet the requirements for adoption you will still have a chance. You may need to endure a longer waiting period now that the supply of children has dwindled to a trickle, but many of the previous prospective parents will not now be able to meet the standards for Chinese adoptions.