oversensitivity

[toastykitten]

This article about adopted Chinese kids dealing with identity issues had a quote from one of the adoptive moms that just rubbed me the wrong way:

"With an African-American child we had no guarantee that the mother or a social worker wouldn't come and take the child away," McKenzie's mother, Maree Forbes, said. "With the children from China, we felt safe that there wouldn't be anyone to come back to get them."

Uh? So I guess these American parents adopting in China are basically banking on the fact that Chinese women are pretty much powerless over the adoption process and have little recourse to reclaim their children if they want to? These people are lamenting the fact that African-Americans actually have parental rights?

I realize that adoption is a complicated process, but this makes my head hurt.

Comments

[fairthinker.livejournal.com]

Interesting post. I love stuff like this. I think maybe Maree Forbes meant that with getting children overseas, it must be a lot harder from a Chinese parent to come to America to claim the child back. (?) I could be wrong because I don't know to omuch about.

Maybe with African-American parents, it's easier for them to have access to the children since they are in the same country.

But I just wonder why people don't just do private adoptions instead so they don't have to worry about anybody take their children?!

[fairthinker.livejournal.com]

Sorry I'm a bit intoxicated now. Excuse the poor English/grammar/stuff.

[toastykitten.livejournal.com]

Well yeah, and that's the part I'm uncomfortable with, because these people are basically taking advantage of the fact that Chinese women don't have the legal rights or money to get their children back. In American adoption, I think the mother has at least a month to change her mind. For the adoptive parents that sucks, but it is a huge and complicated decision for the mother who's giving up her child.