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When it comes to international adoption, the press has it all wrong
By Lauren | April 14, 2010
Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way. I have two daughters, both adopted from Kazakhstan at the ripe old ages of five and nine respectively. They’re occasionally loud, rude, disrespectful, disobedient, quick to tattle, and messy. In other words, they’re kids. They’re also an absolute joy.
That may be why I’m bristling at media coverage of an American couple’s recent decision to put their 7-year-old adopted son on a one-way plane to Moscow. I have no idea whether the boy was, as his family claimed, violent and potentially dangerous. I don’t know what steps the family took to try to salvage the situation before they shipped him back to Russia. I can’t prove that the social workers who evaluated the family’s suitability to adopt dropped the ball. But I do know that there are a whole lot of reporters jumping on this tragic situation as a way to give their careers a quick boost by spreading horror stories about international adoption. In other words, they’re trying to promote themselves at the expense of orphaned children. How appallingly unethical is that?
Here’s the truth about international adoption. It’s expensive, it can be heartbreaking, and the children who come out of it often bear the scars of abuse and neglect. Sometimes their issues are serious. But adoptive parents aren’t always blameless - some Americans assume that their money entitles them to purchase “perfect” children they couldn’t beget themselves, and reject otherwise wonderful kids because they aren’t “pretty enough” or don’t fit neatly into the parents’ fantasies. More importantly, the vast majority of adoptions, domestic and international, are tremendously successful, giving everyone involved the precious opportunity to be part of a loving family.
It’s frequently said that bad news sells best, and that the public can’t understand a story unless it’s dumbed down to a level that a dog could comprehend. I don’t believe it but, even if it’s true, it’s no reason to turn one family’s sad story into a national terrorfest. Spreading oversimplified poison about adoption can deprive deserving children of homes and families they desperately crave. So, here’s a message to any reporter who stumbles across this blog. Please go find a corrupt politician, an overpaid banker or an incompetent manufacturer to pick on. Just leave the kids alone.
Topics: Business Ethics, Personal Ethics, Professional Ethics, business communications, ethics |