Letters to the Editor

Column: Letters To The Editor

I respond to the Dec. 12 Dispatch article, "Diary of an adoption tragedy." Liam Thompson was a living, breathing little boy who was placed into a family where he was tortured until he was killed. The fear he and his sister must have felt is unimaginable.

Tragically, birth kids and adopted kids occasionally are abused by unworthy parents. Had Liam been placed with one of the families I have worked with over the years, I am confident that he would have thrived.

As a certified adoption assessor with European Adoption Consultants in Ohio, I respond to the following:

"I don't see how the adoption agency should be involved anymore," Bianca Marcu was quoted. She is the coordinator of international adoptions for the Oregon adoption agency used by the adoptive family.

Adoption is a process that requires support from the adoption agency for each family before, during and after each adoption in order to be successful. Prior to any international adoption in Ohio, parenting classes are required for all families who don't already have children. It is unfortunate that such classes are not required for all prospective adoptive families, as they address issues of attachment and bonding between adopted children and their families, and provide access to local resources when attachment issues require intervention.

The Thompsons were in deep denial about their inability to cope and apparently didn't know where to turn. Agencies that do home studies for adoptive families should provide post-placement visits by the same assessor who performs the home study. Not only does consistent support facilitate trust, it allows for the assessor to really get to know a family and to be available whenever an issue might arise -- essentially providing a safety net for adopted children in extreme cases such as the Thompsons'.

Many of the families I have worked with contacted me with concerns that the Dispatch article put international adoption in a negative light. After facilitating more than 100 adoptions, I can say honestly that every family I have worked with has put heart and soul into raising their kids.

When issues arise, these parents reach out for help. Most of them knew little about attachment issues at the outset of their adoptions but learned much through trainings, reading and ongoing dialogue, throughout and after their adoptions, with other adoptive families and adoption professionals.

My 11-year-old son commented after reading the article that the adoptive families he has met seem to do a great job. "How do you know?" I asked him. He answered, "Because their kids are so happy." My 7-year-old daughter chimed in, "Because those moms and dads ask you questions when they aren't sure what to do."

It should be obvious to all that ultimately, the responsibility for any child's welfare rests on that child's parents, but adoptive parents have a much better chance at bonding with their children and creating happy lives together when the agencies that do their adoptions are there to educate, inform and support them.

The death of Liam Thompson should serve as a reminder to all of us that international adoption is a life-altering choice that requires preparation, patience and trust among all involved. That boy was failed on myriad levels. Let's apply the lessons from this tragedy to his surviving sister and the thousands of internationally adopted kids here today.

BARBARA SCANLON

Columbus

December 21, 2004

Column: Letters To The Editor

It broke my heart to read "Diary of an adoption tragedy" (Dispatch article, Dec. 12), about little Liam Thompson and the unspeakable cruelty he suffered at the hands of his adoptive parents.

If the article was intended to elicit sympathy for the parents, it failed, at least for me. People make choices in life. The Thompsons chose to adopt Liam and a little girl. They also chose not to seek help when they so desperately needed it.

Mrs. Thompson couldn't even tell her own mother of the monumental problems she was facing, for fear her mother wouldn't understand. How incredibly selfish.

And what was the result? A little boy is dead. Fourteen years in prison is a slap on the wrist. A lifetime isn't long enough for those two parents to ponder what they did to that innocent, helpless little boy.

I'm glad to know the little girl has been adopted, hopefully into a family who will love and nuture her, and that little Liam is in the arms of Jesus, where nothing and no one can hurt him again.

CATHERINE A. ZITKO

Westerville