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20 February 2008

Letters to the Editor (Marie Claire)

Your report on international adoption titled, 'If Celebrities can adopt children from overseas...why can't we?' [March] provoked deep concerns about the one-sided issues that were presented.  I believe that the complexities of international adoption have been overlooked and would benefit by including the voices of adoptees and birthparents as well.  This matter needs to be handled with the consideration of the concerns of all involved in the adoption process, not just the adoptive parents. 

I am concerned about the campaign to 'streamline' international adoptions. The potential for corruption is heightened in privatised adoption such as in the US where adoption is treated as a business and children are the prime commodities.  While this is not necessarily meant to represent the views of adoptive parents, it is a consequence of privatising the international adoption process.  Therefore, any steps that Australia takes in that direction needs to be considered with caution and in consultation with all relevant parties.

Furthermore, if the concern is that there are so many children abandoned or languishing in orphanages, why not advocate for social support so families can have a real choice to keep their children?  If a family cannot take care of their children given the limited social support on offer, this is not necessarily a fault of the parents and they should not be punished by having no other viable choice than to relinquish their children. This was one of the main issues at the centre of a protest held in Seoul last year, which was attended by Korean birthmothers, Korean adoptees, and others willing to offer their support.

I urge those advocating for a streamlined process to stop and consider how their desires to form a family may be imposing on those that are often silenced, mainly the birthparents.  Also, as a Korean adoptee that has been through this process, I hope others will listen to our experiences and not make judgements about how 'well-adjusted' we are meant to be or how 'lucky' we are that we were adopted because the comparisons are incomparable and immeasurable.

Jessica Walton