What Next? Public Auction?

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Editorial Opinion: What Next? Public Auctions?

05/25/99

The headline read, "Adopted girl put up for sale on Internet"

A Colorado woman is accused of trying to sell her 8-year old child, adopted from Russia four months ago, over the Internet. Police say they have copies of emails exchanged between the woman and a couple in Texas, asking for $4,000 and transportation costs for the girl from Colorado to Texas. The Texas couple reported the attempted sale to authorities.

The woman claims she was just trying to find another home for the girl, who has an attachment disorder, and that the language barrier made it impossible for her to find help for the child. The woman says that she herself is a manic depressive.

A failure of systems, a failure of individuals

This story throws a spotlight on many of the serious questions that exist about adoption practices, not only about the way certain individuals view adoption, but also about the system as a whole.

It appears that there is no universal understanding that:

adoption is a legal commitment, and new and permanent bond;
the adopted child is the "real" child of his or her adoptive parents, not a loan, not a commodity to be sold, traded, or exchanged when things get tough;
children do have their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and, yes... problems;
relocating a child to another country, where his or her new family doesn't have a language emotional skills to help with the adjustment and integration into their new home and environment will only add to the burden placed on the child

And it appears equally that some adoption agencies, facilitators, or other professionals:

are not looking beyond the prospective parents' ability to pay;
are not requiring adequate pre-adoption education and evaluation;
are not ensuring the child will have language and emotional support systems in place;

The information is out there

"I didn't know" just isn't an acceptable excuse. For an Internet-savvy person like the woman in this news story (who certainly knew enough to make email contact to arrange the "sale"), there are many fine information sources. To name a few:

"What You Should Know Before You Adopt A Child," from the Attachment Center at Evergreen, gives pre-adoptive parents information and advice about being fully prepared and informed.
Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption is a support group of families who have been-there-done-that, who reach out with their collective advice and assistance.
A Russian Adoption Experience is a detailed account from an adoptive parent who has been through the process.
"The Long-term Effects of Institutionalization on the Behavior of Children from Eastern Europe and The Former Soviet Union - long title, but this research examines many of the problems experienced by children who come to their new families from orphanages or other care facilities.
Russian Adoption Medical Services offers explanations of terms and medical reports, as well as a message board where physicians answer specific medical questions and concerns.

Does this story make you angry?

Does it make you angry? Is it just another case of the system failing a child? Is this the way disrupted adoptions are supposed to be handled? Is it just a scaled-down version of what adoption agencies do... and get paid a lot more for?

Recommended Resources

Child and Youth Health & Development - Issues shared by many child and youth adoptees, sources for information and support, including an entire section on attachment issues.
International Adoption Resources - Links to the best Net locations for education about where to start, health issues, support, and children's rights.
Russia Adoption Resources - Links to agencies, facilitators, professionals, articles, and adoptive parents
Special Needs Adoption - Definitions, professional resources, support groups, financial resources

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