Over the past several days I have received a vast amount of mail in response to my October 29th PULSE Posting, “Pssst … Wanna buy a baby?”  Unfortunately, much of this mail was vitriolic in tone, and made offensive comments regarding my supposed race and/or the race of my child.  I have responded to most individuals who wrote me, as long as their email was not aggressive, but would like to address several points that were common among all emails.

Clearly, Davenport’s Christian Science Monitor article, and my summary thereof, does not reflect the entirety of the wide-ranging debate surrounding adoption.  Rather, it highlighted a concerning new trend, albeit without hard or fast statistics as adoption it seems, is a field without extensive data collection. The international adoption of African American babies is concerning, particularly when held in contrast to the rising numbers of international adoptions by middle class Americans.  As citizens invested in an ongoing dialogue about identity and race, we cannot help but question the implications of these trends.

Several readers pointed out significant barriers to interracial adoption beyond those illustrated in the article. One such obstacle is the decaying American foster care system, in which children linger indefinitely in a netherworld between ever changing caregivers.  Unlike foreign countries, the United States does not support a large orphanage system and in most cases, presses for reunification of the family rather than adoption by a permanent, non-kin caregiver.  The foster care systems’s problems are manifold, and in no way make adoption within the United States an easy process.  In addition, there is a history of social work agency resistance to interracial placement, as unnecessarily traumatic or, worse, inappropriate.

I do not believe that  personal experience as either an adopted child or an adoptive parent is necessary to hold an opinion about adoption, no more than experience as a member of a minority ethnic group is necessary to form an opinion about racism. Those individuals touched personally by adoption may no doubt have different opinions based on their unique experiences.  Nonetheless, as we pursue dialogue, no topic can be held as sacred, and it is our most personal beliefs and actions that often necessitate the closest scrutiny.

llouison