The question many (most) adopting parents get when they are in the middle of an international adoption...why adopt international, when the US has so many children that need homes? Well, for us it is simple to understand although apparently it is not so simple for some because we keep being asked the same question by the same people more then once.
First reason, and maybe the most clique-ish response, we are Christians but it is more then just that. We, as Christians, are called to help the widow and orphans of this WORLD (not the country you are a citizen of). But dont take my word for it, it is in the Bible (you know, the book that is God-breathed).
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James1:27
It is very simple, it does not say, only take care of the orphans in your community, only take care of those in the country you live in. It says "help the widow and orphans of this WORLD". Some families (individuals) are called to help children in the US, some are called to help children in Africa, and some in Russia, and other in China. Who am I to judge someone because of what God called them to do? Some people are called to help just widows and other are called just to help orphans. And some, I am going out on a limb here, are called to help both. It is simple, we (H and M) are called to help orphans in need, and we see the need to be international adoption.
Second reason, children in the US have better care in foster care then a child in a international orphanage/institution. You are correct, some of that care is not great, and some of that is terrible. Some children are bumped from house to house and dont always find homes. I do not in anyway think this is great nor acceptable. There are people who feel called to adopt/foster children in the US and I commend them (as I do those who adopt internationally). However, I have seen how orphans are treated in other countries, and it is not good. We lived in a blessed country, where even if you do not have insurance, you can get medical treatment. When a child is born with some type of anything, there are funds, there are organization, there are ways to help that child get the necessary surgeries, treatment, care they need to survive. If they child if orphaned at birth/removed from parental care, that child is given medical treatment. Children who live in countries where these types of treatments are expensive are not usually given this luxury, and if the child is orphaned, their chances of getting any assistance is nonexistent.
'Perfectly healthy', if that exists for any orphan regardless of country, children dont always get this poor treatment, but we are not adopting 'perfectly healthy' we are adopting special needs. So, I will only address this. A child with special needs, lets go with metal first, may not have any visible signs of a special need, say like ADHD or maybe any type of Learning disability. Many, for example, just go through the 'system' with no help in any way with their education. This means no accommodation in their education, no extra time for test, no books on tape, no nothing. This means no real education. Children are kicked out when they turn of age, 17-18, and without an education they dont really have anything. Girls will end up on the streets or worse sold into the sex trade industry. Boys have a higher chance of getting into drugs and commit suicide. This is just reality for those children/young adult. This would not happen in the US. There are accommodation and the ADA to make sure everyone follows the rules but wait, I said the ADA (the AMERICAN Disabilities Act), not International Disabilities Act. Children with LD or ADHD are given special accommodation to help them learn, and this is considered strange in many Eastern European (EE) and Asian countries.
Now, lets say if this child has a physical disability. This child is more likely to be put in an institution/asylum. No child deserves to be put in an adult institution because they have down syndrome, dwarfism, and even albinism. In EE children can end up in an adult institution as young as 5 years old. Children, on average, in the US foster system tend to get treated better then those in an orphanages. Why? Because children in orphanages have 1 person to more children then any one person can care for. Children are neglected and ignored.
Adults who are neglected and ignored children in the US are prosecuted and put in jail. Those people are looked at as monsters. How dare someone not feed or bath a child? But that only applies to children in the US, right?
“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes…” – David Platt, “Radical”
Finally, we are adopting internationally because that is where Johanna lives and we are willing to get her.
Some are willing to adopt but not all are willing to travel internationally to do it...we are willing. The reality, our daughter, if she stays in the country she is in, will more then likely not be given an education, because her culture sees her unable to be adopted and unable to be educated. She will end up in an institution or sent out of the orphanage when she ages out. With no education or trade, she has little chance of living a 'normal' life. While a child with dwarfism is looked at as a 'novelty' and fun to dress up but once they age out, they are no longer fun or a novelty. Our daughter is a human being and should be treated this way. She will not be looked at as someone with a disability, she just need a little help to reach the light. As with any child, she will learn and grow, but may do it differently (but dont many kids learn differently, regardless if they are considered disabled or special needs)
Remember, I will not judge you on why you choose to adopt or not adopt or even where you adopt, why you choose to take care of orphans or now but everyone has their reasons for why they do what we do and as Christians, to do His will and not our own.
Remember, I will not judge you on why you choose to adopt or not adopt or even where you adopt, why you choose to take care of orphans or now but everyone has their reasons for why they do what we do and as Christians, to do His will and not our own.
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