Baby trafficking and other adoption secrets

An article on CNN today states that overseas adoptions from two of the biggest baby exporters, Vietnam and Guatemala, have halted their adoption programs after a crackdown against baby trafficking and corruption. Sadly, much of the story focuses on the would-be American parents who are outraged that they can no longer adopt from these countries. Most of these would-be parents are only focusing on what is in it for them; they want their baby no matter what. They could care less if their child was stolen from some unwed mother and sold off as orphan, because according to them this child is now theirs!

Luckily, the US government is taking steps to prevent such corruption and baby stealing, such as requiring the relinquishing mother to appear with the child when they receive their visa, and required DNA tests for both mother and baby so identities can be proven. Yet, these would-be adoptive parents are angry, saying that this painstakingly detailed review is “overkill”, and another responses by saying “My husband and I were absolutely devastated. Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources in the process.”

While adoption seems like the ideal way to help a child who has no family, the downfall is that this is not always the case. Overseas adoptions, notably countries such as Guatemala, Vietnam, Russia, Romania, and China, have turned the necessary into a financial provocative. Guatemala exports one out of every 100 babies born there to wealthy US couples. Many of these babies were not relinquished by their birth mothers, but either paid ridiculous sums of money to sell their children, or they were stolen unwillingly from them. Some of these birth mothers were coerced, or forced to relinquish their child.