There has been a big push in recent weeks to “save adoptions” by telling the State Department they shouldn’t authorize IAAME to be the new Accrediting Entity (AE) and that it is wrong to ask the AE to enforce the adoption regulations. The press is replete with news of adoptions coming to an end because of these upcoming changes.
Which just shows you should not believe everything you hear. Unfortunately, the press and other outlets have not done a good job of telling the full story, likely because there is an agenda behind these stories. We think it is important for people to be fully informed, especially when it comes to the issue of adoption. So we made this 9 minute video. Please watch and pass it on.
And because we believe in transparency, these are the sources for the statistics and quotes in the video:
Vietnam
Foreign Policy “Anatomy of an Adoption Crisis” by E.J. Graff
Thanh Nien News “Ethnic minority parents lose children to adoption scam”
The Telegraph “Vietnamese doctors ‘sold’ babies for overseas adoptions” by Ian MacKinnon
The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism “Adoption: Vietnam” (documents, articles, resources)
Guatemala
The Telegraph “Guatemalan mother reunited with baby stolen and sold for adoption by US couple” by Philip Sherwell
Associated Press “Adoptions of Guatemalan Babies In Limbo”
ABCNews “U.S. Adoptions Fueled by Guatemalan Kidnapping” by Haroldo Martinez and Russell Goldman
The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism “Adoption: Guatemala” (documents, articles, resources)
Ethiopia
Pacific Standard “They Steal Babies, Don’t They?” by EJ Graff
The Atlantic “How Ethiopia’s Adoption Industry Dupes Families and Bullies Activists” by Kathryn Joyce
Reuters “Ethiopia adoption ban may curb trafficking, but poorest families need support” by Nita Bhalla
The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism “Adoption: Ethiopia” (documents, articles, resources)
Uganda
CNN Investigations “Kids for sale: ‘My mom was tricked’ ” by Randi Kaye and Wayne Drash
Cleveland.com “FBI raids Strongsville-based international adoption agency as part of criminal probe” by Eric Heisig
Department of State “Summary of Standards Violated”
COA
Richard Klarberg Statement 2006 – C-SPAN clip
Department of State “Adoption Notice: Council on Accreditation Statement of October 6, 2017”
IAAME
Department of State “Adoption Notice: FAQ: Newly Designated Accrediting Entity, IAAME” and “Letter to Prospective Adoptive Parents about the IAAME Fee Schedule”
Additional source: DOS Stakeholder Call with IAAME President, Stephen Pennypacker
2 Responses
$500.00 increase is not acceptable, it “may” increase adoption, It “could” open more countries up.
The reason many people including myself have not adopted again, is the money it is just too expensive
so adding any fee ( even for the children) is too much of a fee.
And the fact that most children coming from these countries have special needs, is turning many couples away. No more middle men needed, as far as I am concerned!!!
See the article below that I recently wrote as both a researcher and as a parent going through the international adoption process that supports the need for oversight. At least, there should be more reporting of information and statistics –
https://medium.com/@joneseconomics/is-financial-stress-corrupting-international-adoption-583a04e02b8