Very Interesting Couple of Months!

I started researching the possibility of adopting from China back in July 2007. I soon figured out that the wait for a non-special needs (NSN) infant from China would be well over 3 years. In fact, I'm expecting the wait will probably be about 5+ years for people filing now. Since my husband is Chinese-American, he really wanted to adopt from China and did not want to consider another country. I, however, did not want to wait 5 years for my first child! Initially I had thought that we could be expedited for Chinese adoption due to my husband's ethnicity, but since his father was born in Vietnam (even though he is ethnically Chinese), the CCAI will not consider us for an expedited adoption.

With some more research I thought that a concurrent adoption might suit our needs, allowing us to eventually adopt from China, but also to adopt another baby in a shorter time span. Eventually, I was drawn to Kazakhstan. The process of adopting from Kazakhstan is a bit more difficult than adopting from some other countries because perspective adoptive parents (PAPs) have to spend weeks and months in Kazakhstan to adopt a child, but the difficulty of the process makes the demand for children from Kazakhstan less, therefore greatly decreasing the wait times. Also, the majority of the babies available for adoption in Kazakhstan are Asian or Eurasian, which appealed to my husband since he wants our babies to look like us.

Next came the decision on which agencies to use for our concurrent adoptions. It was very easy for me to decide to use China Adoption with Love (CAWLI) based in Brookline, Massachusetts for our China adoption. The reviews for CAWLI on the Yahoo Chat Groups were all positive. My husband and I scheduled an appointment to meet with the director in Boston and we thought she (Lillian) and her staff were great (and patient). CAWLI is a lot cheaper than many agencies and does a lot more of the footwork for its clients, including notarizing and apostilling documents and arranging travel to China without marking up the travel costs. CAWLI also sends a doctor from the U.S. with each of its groups of PAPs that travel to China. Finally, CAWLI was fine with us doing a concurrent adoption as long as there was at least a year between our adoptions. I found this all very reassuring and so far am very happy with CAWLI and email frequently with their documentation representative, Meg, about which documents they require and the best way to obtain them.

I was a little bit more confused by which agency to use for adoption from Kazakhstan. Whereas the China adoption process seems older and more established, one gets the feeling that adopting from Kazakhstan can pose many surprises and that the way those surprises are handled by the authorities while PAPs are in Kazakhstan can be very unpredictable. The top two agencies I learned about were World Partners Adoption (WPA), based in Georgia, and Little Miracles (LMI), based in Texas. I also looked in to Journey Home Adoption (JHA) that was started by some ex-WPA clients a few years ago.

WPA impressed me right away when a day after I emailed them for information Lisa Kaforey, an adoption coordinator based in upstate New York called me to ask me if I had any questions. Lisa continued to respond promptly to emails. WPA even agreed to send me their contract ahead of time so that I could go through it and make sure that there was nothing I felt uncomfortable with before actually sending in the application and the $300 application fee. Little Miracles never contacted me after they emailed me their info packet. Additionally, a few days later when I sent them a list of 25 questions LMI never responded to my email. It's been months now, and they never wrote back to me. Lisa from WPA responded within 1 day. So LMI was off my list.

My reservation about WPA was the fact that I saw some mixed reviews about them on the Yahoo Chat Groups. I know that no one agency can please all people and that international adoption is risky, so there will always be some people that are not happy with the experience. Still, I had a nagging doubt about WPA. When Lisa sent me a list of about 100 references from WPA, I emailed every single person on the list. Most everyone got back to me. Most were 100% happy. Some were pretty happy and one person responded that she was surprised that she was still on WPA's list since she had ended up using JHA for her second adoption and WPA had removed her from their Internet group list. It seems if WPA is unhappy with a client (or vice versa) they are quickly removed from the WPA group. I also talked to some WPA clients who had some problems while in Kazakhstan that they thought were not handled in the most customer-friendly manner.

So, with nagging doubts I contacted JHA. JHA was started by some women who used WPA in the past and were not completely satisfied with their experience. JHA uses the same team of professionals in Kazakhstan that WPA uses. It is this team of seasoned Kazakh professionals that differentiates WPA (and JHA) from other agencies that perform adoptions in Kazakhstan and is the reason that the Kazakhstan embassy Website in New York City lists WPA as the agency to use for Kazak adoptions.

Upon contacting JHA I liked Coleen Belli immediately and liked the fact JHA wants to create a warmer, more personalized experience for their clients than they experienced while they were with WPA. A few things made me feel uncomfortable with JHA, however. The first thing was that although JHA has only had a few clients, Coleen did not put me in touch with all of them to get references. I felt like she was being vague about the number of clients and then I think she put me in touch with about 4 or so of them when there supposedly is a total of about 14 clients. Also, I did not like being put in touch with JHA's "ambassadors" who are people who have adopted with WPA not JHA, but essentially can talk to you about their Kaz experience since JHA and WPA use the same Kaz-based team, the sisters. Much of JHAs marketing materials were based on references from the ambassadors. I know that JHA is a new agency, but I would rather see a reference from a true client of JHA and not a reference from someone who used WPA in the past but spoke only of their experience in Kazakhstan. Finally, I read JHA's contract and it was exactly the same as WPA's but with a few more restrictive clauses.

A few days after reading the JHA contract I decided to go with WPA. So far I am very happy and have had a very good experience with Lisa Kaforey and with the owner, Jim Harding, whom I contacted about the terms of the contract. My thoughts are that I would rather go with an agency with a long history of doing Kazakhstan adoptions, than with a new agency that is just starting out, even though they use the same team in Kazakhstan. For my first adoption I want to go with a seasoned team that has experienced all of the pitfalls and loopholes while dealing with adoptions in Kazakhstan. Hopefully my "gut feeling" about WPA has served me well.

So now I am busy gathering paperwork for our home study agency, Jewish Child Care Agency (JCCA), based in New York City where we live, and for CAWLI and WPA. It certainly is a bit confusing and would probably be very difficult for someone who is not very good at juggling multiple balls, but so far, I have found the challenge very invigorating and interesting. I will write more in future posts about the different requirements and how to avoid some pitfalls during the "paperchase."

New Purpose for this Blog

When I started this blog a few months ago I thought I would make a general educational blog for anyone who was starting out on the road to international adoption, to help educate them on all aspects of international adoption, including information on all the potential countries from which one might adopt.

Since then, my husband and I have settled on adopting concurrently from China and Kazakhstan. We have sent in our applications to two separate agencies and have contacted our home study agency. The gears are in motion!

Therefore, this blog will still share a lot of information, but I am going to gear it more toward my experience with adopting concurrently with two different agencies/countries. Paperwork. Little things I learn along the way.

Adoption Agency Contracts & Re-adoption

I had a phone conversation with Diane Kunz a few days ago. Diane is the executive director of The Center for Adoption Policy based in New York.

I contacted Diane because I had learned about her on one of the Yahoo chat groups as being very intelligent and insightful. She is a historian, as well as a lawyer, and I wanted her advice about having an international lawyer look over the contract of an adoption agency I am considering.

We ended up talking less about contracts and lawyers and more about the international adoption environment, especially concerning adoptions from China (I am interested in adopting from Kazakhstan and China). Diane is a wealth of knowledge, given her career and since she has adopted 4 children from China.

Diane advised that using a lawyer to look over the agency contract was not a necessary step, but could be a good one in terms of truly understanding the contract and how it benefits the agency and how it could be stronger for the client. She said that most agencies would probably not change their contracts, at least not significantly. I do know of agencies that have made changes to their contracts upon request of clients. Nothing is set in stone regarding contracts and in light of the decrease in international adoptions from the U.S., I believe that some agencies would probably be very motivated to alter their contract somewhat if it met getting more business. So don't rule it out as a possibility and remember that all contracts are negotiations.

Also, Diane cautioned that signing a contract that has a gag clause or that indemnifies an agency from any responsibility whatsoever is never a good idea.

Diane referred me to Rumbold & Seidelman, a law firm in New York that I had actually spoken to on the phone a few days before. I can't remember if I spoke with Nina Rumbold or Denise Seidelman, but when I asked them about whether I should have a lawyer look over an agency contract they gave me pretty much the same advice as Diane. It's not necessary but it can be helpful in assisting me in understanding the contract and my rights (or lack thereof) under the contract. I saw this type of answer as being a good sign, as an unscrupulous lawyer would probably have told me that I definitely needed to do this and that I should use them to do it!

I ended up posting the questionable paragraphs of the agency's contract online on some of the Yahoo chat groups (with the name of the agency deleted). The majority of the responses I got told me that the contract was pretty typical and not overly binding. I am still checking in to other agencies. It's always good to compare the different agencies and see how they do things differently.

Diane and the lawyer I spoke with both said that for many international adoptions that it's important to get get a re-adoption, and it will continue to be until the Hague Convention is fully enforced. Re-adoption is the legal process in which a state court, enters an order of adoption in favor of adoptive parents who previously adopted their child outside of the United States. I was told that it's especially helpful in case of the death of a parent, for example. If the child does not have a certificate from the U.S. showing that they are the child of the deceased parent, that in some instances they will not be entitled to that parent's possessions, etc.

At any rate, it sounds as if this won't be necessary for much longer.

Helpful Information for Adopting from Kazakhstan

If you are just beginning to learn about adopting a child from Kazakhstan there are a few facts you might want to consider:

• Kazakhstan has both boys and girls, from infant (at least six months old) to young adult available for adoption. There are more boys than girls available, but at this time many agencies still allow perspective adoptive parents (PAPs) to specify whether they would like a boy or a girl, an infant or an older child;



• Kazakhstan is located between Russia, China (and several other countries such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan) and therefore has children available of many ethnicities including Caucasian, Asian and Eurasian. Some adoption agencies working in Kazakhstan allow PAPs to specify the ethnicity of their child, though many do not allow PAPs to specify Caucasian children.
  
  
• As of today's posting date, the wait for adopting a healthy infant from Kazakhstan (from hiring an agency to returning home) ranges from one year to 18 months;



• If you are interested in adopting an older or special needs child, wait times could be less;



• In order to adopt from Kazakhstan you will have to travel to the country. The times spent in-country are extensive compared to many international adoption programs. PAPs have the option of making one 6-8 week trip to Kazakhstan, or two trips consisting of one leg lasting approximately three weeks and a second leg, 15 days later, lasting approximately one or two weeks.
  
  
• There are some regions of Kazakhstan that no longer allow international adoption of their children. As with all international adoption the rules now set in place to regulate adoption from Kazakhstan could change at any time.

Do You Qualify to Adopt from Kazakhstan?

If after reading the above, you are still interested in adopting from Kazakhstan then you will need to see if you qualify. Please note that individual adoption agencies may have stricter requirements for PAPs seeking to adopt from Kazakhstan than are listed below. Requirements to adopt in Kazakhstan include, but are not limited to:

• Kazakhstan allows both single and married people to adopt. There are no age requirements other than that an unmarried prospective adoptive parent must be at least 16 years older than the child s/he intends to adopt. In practice, however, some unmarried prospective adoptive parents have found it difficult to adopt, as have prospective parents over age 60;



• Prospective adoptive parents who have any type of arrest record, regardless of how minor or how long ago an offense occurred, should consult with an adoption professional before deciding to adopt from Kazakhstan. In several cases adoptive parents have faced lengthy and costly delays in finalizing their adoptions in Kazakhstan courts because of decades-old arrest records. An approved home study citing the arrest does not guarantee a favorable court decision;



• No more than two divorces per adoptive parent;



• Both parents must be U.S. citizens;



• Kazakhstan requires annual post placement reports until the child reaches 18 years of age.

Research, Research, Research!

Researching international adoption is crucial for a variety of reasons. It helps you:

• Decide if you are ready to adopt internationally



• Find the best country/program to meet your adoptive needs



• Find out about the ins and outs of adopting



• Find an ethical, law-abiding adoption agency
  

The following links should help you become better-educated on what you need to know to adopt from Kazakhstan.

+ Government Websites

It's always a good idea to see what the Kazakh and U.S. governments have to say about adoption in Kazakhstan:

• Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan in New York - Adoption Page - There is just one page devoted to adoption from Kazakhstan on their Consulate in New York Website. You will find general adoption information straight from the source!
  


• U.S. Department of State: Kazakhstan Intercountry Adoption - As of today, this Website was last updated in May 2007 and will give you a good overview of many of the aspects of adopting from Kazakhstan.

+ Chat Groups

You should DEFINITELY join chat groups on adopting from Kazakhstan. You can learn tons of information by reading about other people's experiences and by asking questions.

There are several great chat groups on Yahoo Groups. Each group has a screening process that you must go through in order to join. It is generally not difficult to complete the process.

Once you have become a member, be aware that some chat groups allow adoption agency representatives to join and some do not, but even when the agencies are not allowed, they may sneak through the screening process. Use your common sense and know that a glowing review written about a particular agency may be coming from an agency representative who is using a pseudonym.

Also, it is a very good idea to read through the questions that have already been posted to the chat group in order to see what you can learn before you post any new questions. Chances are the questions you want answers to have already been asked many times over.

The main groups on adoption in Kazakhstan are:

• Kazakhstan Adoptions - Kazakhstan Adoptions is community of people that are interested in adopting from Kazakhstan or have already adopted from Kazakhstan.



• Kazakhstan Adoption - (This is a different group than the one listed above). This list is an arena for all interested in the Kazakhstan adoption procedure, families who are currently adopting and those who have adopted from Central Asia. This list is rather informal and encourages discussion of all topics in reference to Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe and adoption from these countries.

There are other adoption-related groups for Kazakhstan, but they deal with particular areas within Kazakhstan from which PAPs are adopting, such as Ust-Kamenogorsk or Astana. These generally have much less traffic than the two groups listed above.

Other helpful groups are:

• Adoption Agency Research - International - Adoption Agency Research Group was formed to help prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) in their research and selection of an international adoption agency. Adoption agency representatives are not allowed to join this group.



• International Adoption Agency Feedback - This group was created to inform people researching international adoption agencies, attorneys and home study agencies. This group is open to ANYONE wanting this information including agencies, attorneys and home study agencies.
  

There may be other useful chat groups not listed here. You can do a search on Yahoo Groups or a general Internet search on Google to find more. In particular, some cities and states have groups so that people from the same area can chat and meet up.

+ Adoption in Kazakhstan - The Down and Dirty

After reading through the chat groups for a while, you may discover that international adoption can be risky and fraught with unscrupulous agencies, unforeseen health issues of adopted children and changes in government-adoption policies that can leave PAPs high and dry. Certain people have had very bad experiences in the adoption process and want to share their stories so that others don't have to go through the same ordeals that they did. Other people may not have had bad experiences themselves, but they have created sites that attempt give their readers the insider's edge. I call these types of sites the "down and dirty" sites and they can be very helpful in educating you and enlightening you to the perspective pitfalls associated with international adoption.

It's important to remember that when it comes to other people's opinions posted on the Internet, you might be reading the absolute truth, or the poster's version of the truth, or a downright lie. It's difficult to know for sure, so use your best judgement!

• Dawn and Joe's Story - A blog by a couple who had a bad experience with International Adoption Partners (IAP) of Pennsylvania. Their story, along with other couples who used IAP will be aired on ABC News at 5pm on September 10th (and may continue at the same time on September 11th). This may just be a local airing in the NY/NJ area. I am not sure.

+ Blogs by Families Who Have Adopted from Kazakhstan

Many families who adopt from Kazakhstan keep an adoption blog of their experience. Reading through these blogs is an invaluable way to learn about adopting from Kazakhstan. Some of the blogs listed below are about couples who are waiting to adopt, some about those who already have, and still some about those who have already adopted and are waiting to adopt child #2!
You can find many more adoption blogs by going to a Yahoo Group on Kazakhstan adoption and doing a search for "blog".

• Amy & Steve's Excellent Adventure
• Cook Adventures in Kazakhstan
• Denhams in Kazakhstan
• Pardon Me, Have You Seen My Children?
• Rob and Jen and a Couple of Sons
• The Higins House
• The Van Sant Family Adoption Page
• Welks in Kazakhstan
• Winkur Family Website

Adoption From Guatemala - The State Department Says "DON'T"

In March 2007, the U.S. State Department issued a statement advising U.S. perspective adoptive parents not to adopt from Guatemala, citing that Guatemala's adoption process has "serious problems" which makes it difficult to assure that children, adoptive mothers and adoptive parents are protected.

The State Department listed its main concerns with the Guatemalan adoption process as being:

• Conflicts of Interest - We are concerned that Guatemalan notaries may determine a child's eligibility for adoption, authorize the adoption deed, and register the adoption at the Civil Registrar. In the same case, the notary or his/her staff may also directly interact with birth mothers, solicit consents for an adoption, and handle the referral of the child to prospective adoptive parents. The Department of State does not believe that the notaries, given these multiple roles, can truly act objectively and in the best interests of the various parties.
  



• Lack of Government Oversight - Despite these critical roles in the adoption process, the notaries are largely unregulated. Public oversight is minimal. Particularly in cases in which prospective adoptive parents are told that the birth mother relinquished her rights to her child voluntarily, the U.S. Government is concerned that social services to birth mothers are extremely limited and that their consents may have been induced by money or threats. Monetary incentives and high fees drive completion of the adoption more than protecting the children, the birth parents, and the prospective adoptive parents. The Department is aware of a growing number of cases of adopting parents who have told us that they are being extorted for very large amounts of money by their local representatives in order to complete an adoption.



• Unregulated Foster Care - Like the notaries, Guatemalan foster care providers are not regulated or checked by the Guatemalan government for compliance with any standards. Many Guatemalan foster families have demonstrated their love and concern for the children in their care, and American adoptive parents have expressed gratitude for how the foster families cared for the children while the adoptions were in process. Unfortunately, however, the Department of State is also aware of instances of grossly inadequate care for young children in foster home situations.; There are cases in which American adoptive families who have completed a Guatemalan adoption later learned that the foster care provider or others in the household had physically or sexually abused the children.



• Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption - Guatemala has been a party to the Hague Convention since March 2003, but it has never enacted Hague-consistent legislation or instituted Hague-consistent practices that would provide children the protections that are now lacking. Guatemala has not established the required central authority to oversee intercountry adoption processing under the Convention and has not yet taken numerous other steps the Convention requires. The U.S. Department of State, the Hague Permanent Bureau (which oversees the Convention) and other countries have consistently expressed concern about these and other problems with Guatemalan adoptions. In fact, many Hague Convention countries have stopped adoptions from Guatemala.

International Adoption Horror Stories

The links below are about or by people who had very bad experiences with international adoption, as well as news articles about corruption in international adoption. I've also included a link about Georgia Tann who is notorious for her unethical practices in the domestic adoption industry. Use these links to help yourself make informed decisions on international adoption and to avoid pitfalls and unethical agencies.

• When You Wish Upon A Star - International adoption horror story by David N. Kruchkow about his and other families terrible experience adopting Mexican children with Adoption Choice adoption agency.



• In Mexico, Children and Promises, Unkept - An article by the New York Times. This article is archived, so you will have to pay in order to read the full article (or just click here for an unformatted version). Deals with the same agency as in "When You Wish Upon A Star".



• Justice for Ethan - Another very sad story about an adoptive mom from the U.S. who's adopted baby lived for just 5 days after her adoption. It turns out that he had cystic fibrosis and that the people from the agency in Russia were not upfront with her about what they knew about his health. Likewise, her adoption agency, Journeys of the Heart (which is still in business, I think) did not treat her very well at all.



• Haitian Children Saved from Rogue Adoption Center - An August 2007 article about dozens of Haitian children whose parents gave them away to traffickers in return for promises of financial help.



• The Adoption Scam - About Reaching Arms International of Minnesota and why it is now out of business.



• Georgia Tann - Although Georgia Tann worked in the domestic adoption market, learning about her and the horrible things she did will give you a good idea about some of the things that can go on in international adoption. There is a book that just came out on her life The Baby Thief, by Barbara Bisantz Raymond. Also, a movie was made about her in the 1970s called "Stolen Babies".



• An Indian Adoption Story - Part I, Lakshmi's Story - A story about how a poor mother from India was tricked into putting her two daughters into an orphanage where they were eventually adopted by a family in the U.S.



• An Indian Adoption Story - Part II, Anjali and Sutara's Story - The second half of the adoption story telling about the two daughters', Anjali and Sutara, experience being put through the Indian adoption process against their will and eventually adopted by a U.S. family.



• Lora Cullipher's Story about Adoption from Guatemala - This story is posted on the Adoption Agency Checklist Website (an invaluable resource which I will be posting on my resource page) which is owned by David N. Kruchkow, the same man who wrote "When You Wish Upon a Star" (listed above). It tells about Lora's terrible experience adopting from Guatemala with Reaching Out Thru International Adoption (ROTIA) in Somerdale, New Jersey. This agency is still in operation.



• Beware of BBAS - Daniel and Elizabeth Case were about to adopt a baby boy from Russia through Building Blocks Adoption Services of Ohio, but he died in their hotel room before the adoption went through. Daniel and Elizabeth have compiled stories from other people who have adopted from BBAS and had bad experiences (to see those stories, click here).



• Baby For Sale - Trying to sell a baby online for $60,000 results in charges against a Hungarian attorney and the baby's mother. Another version of this story can be found here.



• Fraud by California Adoption Agency - The first substantial recovery in California against a county adoption agency for its failure to disclose to adopting parents their adopted child's medical and psychological history. This is a legal article and speaks more to the legal aspects of adoption fraud and adoptive parents rights.



• New York State International Adoption Consultants Charged With Fraud in State Supreme Court -Two New York women who ran International Adoption Consultants, an agency based in Medford, were charged (and subsequently pleaded guilty) to adoption fraud involving illegal adoptions of babies from Mexico. From the Office of the New York State Attorney General.



• Stephanie Porter's Story - This story is also posted on the Adoption Agency Checklist. It tells of the son she adopted from Guatemala through DeColores Adoption out of Lake Charles Louisiana and the services of an attorney Julio Roberto Palencia Lopez.

Helpful Information for Adopting from China

If you are just beginning to learn about adopting a child from the People's Republic of China there are a few facts you might want to consider:

• The vast majority of the children available for adoption from China are girls, though there are some boys available;



• As of today's posting date, the wait for adopting a healthy baby girl in China (from hiring an agency to returning home) is nearing 3 years (unless you or both of your parents hold passports from China, in which case you would be expedited and your wait would be over a year). Pretty much everyone expects that the waits will increase over the next few years. There is no way to predict, but it's possible that if you started the process now, your wait could be much longer than 3 years;



• If you are interested in adopting an older or special needs child, wait times could be considerably less, but it will probably still take you more than a year to go through the entire adoption process start to finish;



• In order to adopt from China you will have to travel to the country for about two weeks;



• As with all international adoption the rules now set in place to regulate adoption from China could change at any time.

Do You Qualify to Adopt from China?

If after reading the above, you are still interested in adopting from China then you will need to see if you qualify. Chinese restrictions on perspective adoptive parents (PAPs) are some of the most stringent in existence today. As of May 1, 2007 requirements to adopt in China include, but are not limited to:

• Applicants must be at least 30 years old but no older than 50 at the time of dossier submission to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA).
  
  The CCAA generally assigns children approximately 10-12 months of age to applicants where the younger parent is under 45. If the applicants are 46-49, they will be assigned a child of 1-3 years. Applicants cannot be older then 50. Couples who are 50-55 may adopt a waiting child only. Exceptions to these requirements may be granted by the CCAA when adopting special-needs children or children over age 6;



• Single applicants are not eligible. Applicants must be heterosexual and married at least 2 years. If either spouse has been divorced, they must be married at least 5 years. No more than 2 divorces per spouse permitted. At least one prospective parent must be a U.S. citizen to be able to sponsor a child to enter the country;



• Applicants can only adopt one child at a time from China. The adoption of twins is extremely rare and involves a long wait with no guarantee. Applicants who have already adopted a child from China, and would like to adopt a subsequent child, must wait until their 12 month post-placement report has been submitted to the CCAA before submitting their dossier for a subsequent child;



• Families may have no more than 4 children under age 18 living in the home, and the youngest must be at least 1 year old. This requirement does not apply to families adopting a waiting child;



• Both applicants must be in excellent mental and physical health, including a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or less. Applicants who take medication for psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety are not eligible. (I have also heard that applicants who undergo any type of psychological therapy are not eligible). Applicants with chronic illness (such as AIDS and cancer), as well as "severe facial deformities" are also excluded;



• One applicant must hold a stable occupation, $10K minimum income per family member (including child to be adopted). Family’s net worth should be at least $80,000 (assets vs. liabilities);



• Both spouses must have at least a high school degree;



• Applicants may not have a criminal record;



• Couples with religious beliefs that prevent any sort of medical treatment, including blood transfusions, for the child, will not be eligible to adopt from China. This also includes religions that use alternatives to blood transfusions, as this is not available in every country.

Research, Research, Research!

Researching international adoption is crucial for a variety of reasons. It helps you:

• Decide if you are ready to adopt internationally
• Find the best country/program to meet your adoptive needs
• Find out about the ins and outs of adopting
• Find an ethical, law-abiding adoption agency

The following links should help you become better-educated on what you need to know to adopt from China.

+ Government Websites

It's always a good idea to see what the Chinese and U.S. governments have to say about adoption in China:

• Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs - This Website is not the easiest one to understand, but if you spend some time on it you will find useful information.
  
  
• U.S. Department of State: Chinese Intercountry Adoption - As of today, this Website was last updated in 2006, but it will still give you a good overview of many of the aspects of adopting from China.

+ Chat Groups

You should DEFINITELY join chat groups on adopting from China. You can learn tons of information by reading about other people's experiences and by asking questions.

There are several great chat groups on Yahoo Groups. Each group has a screening process that you must go through in order to join. It is generally not difficult to complete the process.

Once you have become a member, be aware that some chat groups allow adoption agency representatives to join and some do not, but even when the agencies are not allowed, they may sneak through the screening process. Use your common sense and know that a glowing review written about a particular agency may be coming from an agency representative who is using a pseudonym.

Also, it is a very good idea to read through the questions that have already been posted to the chat group in order to see what you can learn before you post any new questions. Chances are the questions you want answers to have already been asked many times over.

The main groups on Chinese adoption are:

• A China Adoption (ACA) - ACA is a support group for parents and prospective parents adopting from the People's Republic of China. This group is for prospective families at any phase of the adoption process, and also agency representatives. Membership is restricted to folks 30 years of age or older as China requires for adoptions.



• Adoptive Parents China (APC) - APC is a support group for parents and prospective parents adopting from the People's Republic of China. I do not believe that adoption agency representatives are allowed to join this group, though this does not mean they don't sneak through the screening process.



• Rate Your China Adoption Agency - This group provides a forum for people who have adopted children from the People's Republic of China to disclose their experience with their adoption agency. It also provides a source for prospective adoptive parents to get information on various agencies. It is open to anyone who has already adopted from China, is in the process of doing so, or is seriously contemplating a Chinese adoption. Members are permitted to "vent" about their agency, if their experience was negative.However, it is also expected that they will do so with courtesy and truthfulness. Adoption agency representatives are not allowed to join this group.



• Rate Your Special Needs Chinese Adoption Agency - This group is for those who have already adopted a special needs child from China or are researching to find an agency that has good standing in the Adoption Community. This list is for the good, the bad, the ugly to be told without the risk of being flamed. Adoption agency representatives are not allowed to join this group.



• China Expedited Referral Group (CERG) - This is a specialized China adoption support group for families that have requested expedited referral status due to Chinese ancestry with their dossiers. This status was made available by the CCAA as of 8/1/01. This group was formed so that families may wait together and share any news that they may hear about the process without feeling guilty of their special status. I do not believe that adoption agency representatives are allowed to join this group.

Other helpful groups are:

• Adoption Agency Research - International - Adoption Agency Research Group was formed to help prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) in their research and selection of an international adoption agency. Adoption agency representatives are not allowed to join this group.



• International Adoption Agency Feedback - This group was created to inform people researching international adoption agencies, attorneys and home study agencies. This group is open to ANYONE wanting this information including agencies, attorneys and home study agencies.

There may be other useful chat groups not listed here. You can do a search on Yahoo Groups or a general Internet search on Google to find more. In particular, some cities and states have groups so that people from the same area can chat and meet up.

+ Resource Library on International Adoptions in China

There are lots of general resources for international adoption, but the links below deal only (or mainly) with Chinese adoption. These links are based on fact, not rumors or hearsay. They deal more with consolidating and repeating the facts than speculation and rumor... (See "The Down and Dirty" category below for sites that may be considered more biased and speculative).

• Families with Children from China (F.C.C.) - The purpose of FCC is provide a network of support for families who've adopted in China and to provide information to prospective parents. It also provides pointers to other adoption and China-related resources available on the Web

+ Adoption in China - The Down and Dirty

After reading through the chat groups for a while, you may discover that international adoption can be risky and fraught with unscrupulous agencies, unforeseen health issues of adopted children and changes in government-adoption policies that can leave PAPs high and dry. Certain people have had very bad experiences in the adoption process and want to share their stories so that others don't have to go through the same ordeals that they did. Other people may not have had bad experiences themselves, but they have created sites that attempt give their readers the insider's edge. I call these types of sites the "down and dirty" sites and they can be very helpful in educating you and enlightening you to the perspective pitfalls associated with international adoption.

It's important to remember that when it comes to other people's opinions posted on the Internet, you might be reading the absolute truth, or the poster's version of the truth, or a downright lie. It's difficult to know for sure, so use your best judgement!

• China Adopt Talk - Otherwise known as "Rumor Queen". Rumor Queen's original Website was all about looking for the latest rumors and then analyzing them, trying to figure out what the CCAA will do next. Her new, updated site is dubbed "a gathering place for families just getting started, waiting for a referral, and home with their children. It still does deal with rumors in the China-adoption process. It also has a forum (like a chat group) where people can get together and discuss issues on Chinese adoption (and rumors). This is a very popular site in the China-adoptive world.
  



• CHEW - A blog by a woman who had a bad experience with The Great Wall of China adoption agency based in Texas which you can read about on her blog. Her blog also deals with ethics, the Hague convention and many shortcomings in the international adoption process. It also has a great list of resources and a list of other families dealing with fraud.

+ Blogs by Families who have Adopted from China

Many families who adopt from China keep an adoption blog of their experience. Reading through these blogs is an invaluable way to learn about adopting from China. Some of the blogs listed below are about couples who are waiting to adopt, some abou those who already have, and still some about those who have already adopted and are waiting to adopt child #2!

You can find many more adoption blogs by going to a Yahoo Group on China adoption and doing a search for "blog".

• Paynes in China



• Brynn's Blog



• Blackburn's Journey to China



• The Bramblett Bunch



• Loos Family Blog



• Meaghan Grace



• And Babies Make Four - A referral of twin baby girls surprise unsuspecting PAPs!



• Journey to Zoe

Increased Demand + Stricter Rules = Long Waits for Most International Adoptions

The wait time for international adoptions made by U.S. parents has gone up drastically over the last several years. This is partially due to:

1. Increased demand for international adoption by U.S. parents;



2. Stricter rules being imposed by the countries from which adoptions originate, arsing both from a desire to protect children being adopted and to a growing "pro-national" (or "anti-international") adoption stance from within many countries;



3. In some cases, more domestic adoptions are taking place within countries that used to send many of their children to the U.S. as adoptees. This trend is due to stronger national economies and/or local government emphasizing the importance of children being adopted nationally;



4. The U.S. shutting down adoption from various countries due to political unrest or unethical behavior by agencies and orphanages within the countries.

U.S. demand to adopt foreign children has certainly increased over the last few decades. For example, the US issued 7093 visas to children adopted from foreign countries in 1990. That number grew to 22,884 in 2004. Since 2004, the numbers have dwindled somewhat, going down to 22,728 in 2005 and to 20,679 in 2006.

Since 2001, mainland China has been the most popular country for adoptions from the U.S. with numbers of adoptions rising steadily from 4,681 in 2001 to 7,906 in 2005. It remained the most popular in 2006, but adoption of Chinese babies decreased by almost 1,500 in that year to 6,493. This decrease is due to a variety of factors:

• New, stricter guidelines instituted by the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs CCAA);



• Adoptive U.S. parents, not wishing to wait more than two years to adopt a Chinese baby, have begun adopting from other countries such as Vietnam, Guatemala and Ethiopia;



• People in China are beginning to adopt domestically due to the country's strengthening economy and changing views on domestic adoption, thereby leaving less children available for international adoption.
  

With the increased popularity of international adoption from the U.S., several countries are now receiving more applications than they can comfortably handle. Vietnam has requested that American agencies decrease the amount of applications sent its way so that its adoption officials can catch up. The current wait time for international adoptions in Vietnam is estimated to be almost as long as in China, especially for parents hoping to adopt little girls. This is also true of adoptions from Taiwan.

In fact, some adoption agencies in the U.S. will no longer allow perspective adoptive parents (PAPs) to indicate their preference for the sex of the child they hope to adopt, or indeed to even specify the child's approximate age. This is especially true in China, where at least 90% of the children waiting for adoption are girls. This high ratio is due to China's one-child-only policy which allows Chinese couples to have only one child. Given China's overwhelming preference for boys, the vast majority of girls end up in adoption agencies or abandoned. (To read an article on why girls are abandoned in China, click here).

In all other countries where adoption is allowed, there are far more boys in orphanages than girls. In Korea, for example, approximately 80% of the children awaiting international adoption are boys. Although Korea allows Korean PAPs to specify their preference for girls or boys, PAPs in the U.S. can not specify unless they themselves are of Korean descent or they are adopting special needs children or older children.

In general, the more popular the country is for international adoption, the less choice that a PAP will have in selecting sex, age and ethnicity.

Increased demand and a growing trend toward "pro-national adoption" of babies, is translating into countries making stricter rules to limit the amount of foreign PAPs who can adopt their children. For example, in 2007 China implemented stricter rules intended to decrease demand for international adoption of its children by 25-30%. In addition to restrictions on U.S. PAPs' age, income, health and education, the new rules limit PAPs' body mass index to 40, ruling out the obese.

Homosexuals are not allowed to adopt internationally. Although many foreign countries do allow single females to adopt, they do not allow single males to do so.

Just Starting Out

My husband and I are considering international adoption. Well, to be honest about it, I've known I've wanted to adopt internationally since I was 3 years old. Some kids know they want to be doctors when they grow up. I knew I wanted to adopt internationally. I never had the urge to become a parent the biological way. Go figure.

Despite the fact that I've always known that I want to be an adoptive mom, I didn't start researching it until just a month or so ago. The reason being, I think, there just comes a time in your life when it feels right. When you have learned the ins and outs of marriage (or singleness), when you feel mature enough, accomplished enough, settled enough, unselfish enough. A time comes when you know that you want to have children and could be a good provider and parent. I guess I finally reached that time.

Anyway, I have now been researching international adoption for the past month and have learned a wonderous amount in such a short time. I thought it be a good idea to start a blog for other people who know nothing about international adoption, too, so that we can learn together and maybe I can make the process a little easier for others. Granted, I am not researching adoption in every country it is available, in general, just the countries where asian babies are available, but a lot of the things I've found out can be helpful to anyone who's contemplating international adoption.

I intend to add to this blog every day (but let's see how it goes). I hope that you enjoy it!