In the second part of Gita Ramaswamy's interview quoted in yesterday's post, she continues to denounce international adoption.

Seeing her world for how she'd like it to be, rather than how it is, she sets up a very dangerous situation ...

... Q ... By putting a complete ban on international adoption, do you think that one might be hindering the life of an orphan child getting... more

Following up a previous post on female feticide in India, here is a quote from the Christian Science Monitor:

Infanticide is illegal in India (though never prosecuted), and laws are also in place to stop sex- selective abortions. But in some places, national rules don't hold enough sway to overcome local religious and social customs - which remain biased in favor of sons over daughters ...

... more

News from India on the BBC...

A doctor in India and his assistant have been sentenced to two years in prison for revealing the sex of a foetus and then agreeing to abort it.

This is the first time medical professionals have been jailed in such a case.

Under Indian laws, ultrasound tests on a pregnant woman to determine the gender of the foetus are illegal.

It has been estimated that 10 million female foetuses may have been terminated in India in the past 20 years.

Although... more

If your daily life is lived in an hyper-developed country, and if you spend a lot of time reading posts on web groups, list serves and forums from post-adoptive parents much like yourself, you won't be alone if you begin to find yourself assuming that the world has a shortage of unvalued, starving children born to unvalued, starving women who'd rather not have them but have no choice in the matter, and an over-abundance of hopeful adoptive parents desperate for a little one.

Hopeful adoptive parents ... exactly what the posters were at one time ... are sometimes characterized... more

This is the final segment of the article written for the Seychelles Nation newspaper:

Older children can be relinquished for adoption and sometimes adjust very quickly to a new life. Depending on the background of the child, there are times when assistance is needed to help a child settle and become comfortable in a family situation, but this is available and encouraged when needed. If there has been abuse or neglect in the child’s past, professionals may be called in to provide counseling for all members of the adoptive family so everyone becomes part of the healing. Children... more

In the third installment of my article for The Seychelles Nation newspaper, the effort to initiate a discussion on adoption continues ...

With a pregnancy beyond the first trimester, a decision may be made to deliver the child, then leave it with a relative or in an orphanage. Many times a family member is overjoyed to have a child join the household. Sometimes, however, this is not the case and the baby is an unwelcome burden. A careless placement can mean a childhood of servitude, neglect... more

This little boy is not in prison, but he may as well be. He's committed no crime other than being born in Cambodia to someone who couldn't or wouldn't care for him. He now lives in the Asian Orphans Association home just outside Phnom Penh and has about zero chance of being adopted.

As I write, more than four years have passed since the USA suspended adoptions from Cambodia. The UK followed suit last year and some other European countries have also made it impossible for residents to bring Cambodian children into their families.

To say that the issue of Cambodian... more

This is the second installment of the article mentioned in a previous post, written with the idea of starting a dialog in Seychelles about adoption as an option.

... These days the demands are more complicated than foraging for food. Education is vital and a successful life depends on gaining the experience needed to compete in a very competitive world. An unplanned pregnancy can mean the end of formal education, the disruption of a career and permanent dependence on a new grandmother who has already... more

Gay is back from her house-building trip to Cambodia with Tabitha USA, and I was hoping to be able to quote some memories from her journal. Unfortunately, one of her dogs ate it almost as soon as she got home. Really.

Quick perceptions, however ...

She had a wonderful time, is still digesting the experience (much like the dog), was deeply touched by the people, their resilience and ability to smile given their all-too-recent and terribly tragic history, and is planning to go again next year to build more houses.

Cambodia... more

Formal, legal adoption is very rare in Seychelles. There is no stigma attached to sticking a child in an orphanage for years on end, or schlepping it off onto relatives who'd really rather not have another mouth to feed, but the idea of relinquishment ... permanent, legal relinquishment ... doesn't sit well.

It seems people like to keep their options open. Many times, a parent will return for a child when it reaches an age where it can pay its way, work in the family business, care for younger children or older relatives. Laws don't protect the child against this enforced... more