“Dear Sister. Do you miss home? When are you coming home to me?”

This is a quote from one little girl’s letter to another. They are twin sisters. One remains in China where she was born while the other was seized from the home of relatives and put up for adoption on the international market.

The quote comes from the remarkable articles of Barbara Demick of the Los Angeles Times on the sometimes fraudulent adoption business in China. Most of the children end up in the homes of families in the United States. According to some Christians, it is the duty of Americans to take these children thousands of miles away from their families in order to expose them to Christianity and give them all the material benefits of life in the West. [See discussion below about this statement.]

Here is more from Demick’s piece on the twin girl who was seized by government officials:

The twins were separated before their first birthday, when their mother, Yuan Zanhua, a migrant worker, went off to another province. Afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle two babies in addition to an older daughter, Yuan took Shangjie, strapping her to her back, and left the other twin, Xiuhua, with her brother and sister-in-law in the countryside.

Then on May 30, 2002, a dozen officials from the local family planning office stormed Yuan’s brother’s house. They grabbed 20-month-old Xiuhua, shoved her into a car and drove off.

Although couples aren’t supposed to be penalized for having twins, and this rural family was entitled under Chinese law to a second child because their first was a girl, the family planning officials demanded 6,000 yuan, then about $750. The brother had the money, but when he went to get the girl back, they demanded 2,000 yuan more.

“My brother borrowed money from all the families in the village, a little here and a little there. If people could only give 10 yuan, they did,” says Yuan. But when her brother handed over the money, the family planning officials again raised their demands.

“He’d already borrowed money from hundreds of people,” she says. “There was just no way he could get any more.”

By the time Yuan got home, Xiuhua had been sent to the orphanage in nearby Shaoyang. When she complained to the family planning office, she says, the officials sneered at her: “Why did you give birth to so many babies?”

By the way, I have met Barbara Demick. She is one of the finest journalists in America.

Monika writes:

Thanks for a thought provoking blog.

I am writing to say that I think the following statement is overly harsh:

“According to some Christians, it is the duty of Americans to take these children thousands of miles away from their families in order to expose them to Christianity and give them all the material benefits of life in the West,”

I am not sure if you meant to impugn those who adopt children, whether from China or any other country. Of course we don’t support children being stolen and sold. But I am sure that the Christians who adopt Chinese girls are unaware of any such activity. I am also sure that many if not most of the little ones adopted were not stolen. We both know about the forced abortions, one child policy, and preference for males in that and other cultures. We all know it is enforced. Many many adult witnesses have stated that little girls are turned over to orphanages in large numbers.

For those who have opened their hearts and lives to the little girls from China, I am afraid your statement above was unduly critical. I have not nor do I have any plans to adopt from a foreign country, so I don’t speak from personal defensiveness. But I do believe those in the church who extend themselves to those in need should be commended.

 Laura writes:

In my other recent posts on international adoption, here, here and here, you will see that I was careful to point out that most children adopted from foreign countries and brought to the United States are given loving homes and that the intentions of adoptive parents are typically innocent.

My statement here that some Christians believe it is their duty to adopt foreign children was a reference to the view expressed by Lydia McGrew in this recent discussion about international adoption, a forum in which I participated. Lydia argues that any cultural problems adoptees may experience are secondary to the material benefits they receive in this country and to the benefits they attain from exposure to Christianity in Christian homes. She goes beyond saying simply that this adoption is good, and expresses the view that it is the duty of American Christians to raise children from poor non-Christian countries. I believe this view is held by others. We were not, however, discussing kidnapped children and in no way was Lydia endorsing the theft of children nor do I believe that Christian adoptive parents are in any way endorsing such practices.

Nevertheless,  as I argued in that thread and stated in posts here, these practices will inevitably arise in many non-Western countries where there is a large demand from the West for adopted children. As I stated before, the adoption business should remain within national borders both because of the cultural problems it poses for adoptees and because we cannot control or even investigate what goes on inside those countries. The demand for children by couples and single women in the West is now such that we cannot be sure what pressures it may place on the adoption market in other countries nor can we know how many children would be placed inside orphanages absent this market.

I stand by this statement and believe that, even without these horrific tales of kidnapping, international adoption should be curtailed or ceased altogether. I commend the intentions of those, Christian and otherwise, who sincerely wish to help children in need, but not the practice of international adoption. Those desiring to help foreign children can donate money and goods to organizations that provide them and their families with assistance in their own countries. They can also volunteer to work in foreign missionaries, orphanages and hospitals.

Karen Wilson writes:

Well done finding this (series by Demick). Behind the sugary conceit and mock benevolence of What’s Wrong with the World, there is a sordid tale. Madonna’s little African boy was similarly bought. It was striking and callous how the writer Lydia on that blog dismissed the identity crisis faced by these children as insignificant. There should be pressure on the Western governments to stop this trade, because a trade is what it is.

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