What do you think of korea's goa lt oeliminate foreign adoption? Do you think i twill happen?

Question

What do you think of korea's goa lt oeliminate foreign adoption? Do you think i twill happen?

Answer 1

Hi Mpiskjh,

I think it's an admirable goal.  Every country should aspire to attain just that.  It means they are thinking of the best interests of their children instead of producing children for export.

For those not familiar, the proportion of children leaving Korea for adoption amounted to about 1% of its live births for several years during the 1980s.  To stem the number of overseas adoptions, the Korean government had introduced a quota system for foreign adoptions in 1987. And under the system, the nation reduced the number of children permitted for overseas adoption by 3 to 5% each year, from about 8,000 in 1987 to 2,057 in 1997. The goal of the plan was to totally eliminate foreign adoptions by 2015.

Yes, there is lots of money to be made off of foreign adoptions.  Yes, there are people with infertility problems.  Does that mean it's right to sell the children off?  Korea's decision reflects their knowledge of what is best for children.  That is staying in their country of birth and being raised by their own families, or their own extended families, or at least other people of their own nationality.  Adoption to foreign strangers should always be a last resort for any child, and considering how there are still thousands of American children in need of homes, an international adoption should never be necessary.  

People who look at adoption as a source of children for childless families to purchase might be thinking of their own wants more than considering the long-term effects on that child.  The losses for any adoptee are enormous, and continue throughout their life.  Add the culture shock of being transplanted to a strange land, people, food, language, etc., and you have multiplied the challenges.  It's a very high price for a child to have to pay.

I hope Korea and other countries can attain their goal of at least keeping their children in their homelands.  Please see link for further information and for the effects on the KAD's (Korean adoptees).  Thank you.

julie j

adult adoptee

Answer 2

I think that it is an admirable goal depending on the intent.  If the initiative truly helps all Korean families (meaning births to single mothers no longer result in the need to shame the mother) to care for their children, then I think that it is great.  If it is merely lip service to improve Korea's standing in the international community, then it is meaningless for the well-being of mothers and children.

Right now Korea is being lumped in with other countries where breeding babies for export to America is big business.  I think that the country is sensitive to not being compared to countries like Quatemala so I think that it will happen.