The Changes to the Chinese Program

For those of you that are tracking recent developments in the international adoption world, you are likely already aware that the recent changes to the Chinese program will have an impact on many eager to adopt (and from what we have heard will likely boost the popularity of other programs, like Vietnam).

China has been a the most popular choice for Americans that chose to adopt abroad (with around 7,900 babies coming into the United States from China last year). See United States State Department. China has been backlogged with applications for foreign adoptions, and that apparently caused them to reform their current system. From the AP articles out there, among many new restrictions on applicants, China is not going to allow anyone to adopt if that person is unmarried (or married for less than two years), obese (BMI over 40), or taking anti-depressants.

From our research it seems that many of the foreign adoption programs have restrictions on the qualifications of applicants. Every country seems to be a bit different in terms of what they are looking for in adoptive parents. (In addition, adoption agencies can also put their own restrictions on applicants -- like specifying that they be of Christian faith).

One of our single friends recently emailed us concerned about the news from China. There have been many single-parent adoptions from China in the past. We can all see from our daily lives that single parents can be just as "qualified" to parent as married couples. So, it does seem as though it would make more sense to evaluate applications on an individual basis rather than putting these type of blanket rules in place. I think they must be doing this in an effort speed up the process and cut the costs of evaluating so many applications (while, in our opinion, cutting many "qualified" singles out of the process).

However, to any of our single friends out there that think adoption may be an option for you in the future, my research indicates that there are still options both internationally and domestically. Our destination of Vietnam, for example, allows single parent applicants. In addition, I think that different countries and programs have different views on obesity and other health related concerns, so I think that it is just a matter of researching the criteria and finding the right program. (We had to do that as well, because our ages and the length of our marriage did not meet some counties' requirements for applicants.)

Also, whether it makes sense or not, it is my understanding that some countries/programs are less strict about their applicant criteria if applicants are willing to adopt "special needs" children. ("Special Needs" seems to mean a variety of things ranging from older-than-infant or minor physical issues like cleft lip to more serious health problems).