tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post7778728384361787581..comments2024-03-10T15:13:47.148-07:00Comments on Research-China.Org: My AgendaResearch-China.Orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137919637778021754noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-60091296209845990362013-11-24T15:13:17.242-08:002013-11-24T15:13:17.242-08:00Brian, I've never read this before and I'm...Brian, I've never read this before and I'm not sure how I missed it! Just wanted to say this is very very good and you should continue to post this link from time to time as your "agenda" will without a doubt be thrown into question in the future!<br />PattyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-34642213867168637442011-03-07T13:32:50.257-08:002011-03-07T13:32:50.257-08:00As with all things, the one more learns and experi...As with all things, the one more learns and experiences, the more one's ideas should change. My belief in the integrity of China's adoption program has steadily declined since 2005.Research-China.Orghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09137919637778021754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-107367343571961162011-03-07T13:24:08.152-08:002011-03-07T13:24:08.152-08:00Brian, this is really important work you're do...Brian, this is really important work you're doing. As an anthropologist working in southwest China, I'm glad you're shining the light on these situations.<br /><br />After I read this 2008 explanations, I read your 2006 letter to the editor:<br /><br />http://research-china.blogspot.com/2006/03/letter-to-washington-post.html<br /><br />It seems to contradict your later stance. Would you still stand by the letter to the editor that you sent in 2006, or if not, how would you change your response?<br /><br />Best,<br />TamiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-1723475480637109082009-08-03T13:51:34.984-07:002009-08-03T13:51:34.984-07:00Brian,
Your earlier assessments seem to have fore...Brian,<br /><br />Your earlier assessments seem to have foretold how the China AI program has evolved. Mid-way through 2009, I get the impression that the percentage of completed adoptions via the SN program is larger than the NSN program.<br /><br />The US state department keeps track of the number of completed adoptions, but does not break that down between NSN and SN. Is there any way to quanitify the ratio of SN/total China adoptions and NSN/total China adoptions in 2008? 2009?<br /><br />Also, a small correction from blog entry on 1/24/08. The SN program has 2 major avenues for matching children to families: <br />1. Agency designated list<br />2. Shared list.<br /> <br /> Neither process is perfect, but the shared list enables more agencies to match the children on the shared list.<br /><br />Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-54328569729940065032008-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:002008-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:00This is a fantastic resource for people looking to...This is a fantastic resource for people looking to adopt from china.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-1502218975393150532008-04-30T20:08:00.000-07:002008-04-30T20:08:00.000-07:00I am new to your site, and I just want to say how ...I am new to your site, and I just want to say how your "agenda" mirrored my current feelings without ever have been made aware of this side of the story. We began to build our family through adoption 17 months ago. We started out requesting a healthy infant, and through our paper chase found out the wait was increasing to possibly 4 years. I began to think, "wait! I thought there were so many baby girls in need?" With research I was saddened to see how many sn children were waiting. And stunned to see how many boys were waiting. We changed our plans, and although we didn't start out to save a child, rather add a child through adoption, we felt that our path was meant to lead us to a sn girl nearly three years old that may not be chosen because of her special need. I wonder if other adoptive families that are waiting were aware of this side, if maybe they would be find the path toward a sn child the right one for all concerned?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-48022958648722509532008-04-26T22:34:00.000-07:002008-04-26T22:34:00.000-07:00Thank you Brian for what you are doing to help exp...Thank you Brian for what you are doing to help expose the truth about Inter-Country Adoptions world wide! As an intercountry adoptee from Vietnam and founder of the Inter-Country Adoptee Support Network (www.icasn.org/) I wish there were more adoptive parents in the world like you who are prepared to find the truth and do something about it! <BR/><BR/>Regards<BR/>LynelleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-91756365437041649142008-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:002008-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00Brian,Thank you for sharing your insite into the w...Brian,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for sharing your insite into the world of China adoptions. It certainly seems wrong to deny the people of China the children in need of families, but perhaps with the news of a possibility of the changing of the one child per family rule it will begin to move in that direction. We adopted a SN child who was two at the time, last March, and it was the most amazing thing I have even done and I have 5 bio children!!! She is such a joy to have and yet I do worry about her not knowing her true culture. I can only do so much and she will be an American thru and thru. So, we can all hope for changes, families can consider SN children, they too deserve families, Chinese and foreign, and we can speak up for them. Thanks for doing what you do and we also have a daughter from Qiangjing SWI and I see a few photos of her on your photo page so I will be ordering those from you soon!!! <BR/><BR/>EWB in Oh.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12861607490940164453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-87774620059696029462008-02-14T10:52:00.000-08:002008-02-14T10:52:00.000-08:00I would be very cautious before contributing to a ...I would be very cautious before contributing to a "fund" that assists those in China to adopt. My main question would be how the funds are administered, since there is no central agency responsible for domestic adoptions. Additionally, I question how receptive anyone would be to assist a financially disadvantaged family in adopting. <BR/><BR/>But your question is a good one: How can we insure that our funds are being properly used. The reality is that every NGO in China is beholden to the CCAA for approval and cooperation. Thus, questions about disbursements are extremely limited, and oversight is limited. For example, in one orphanage in Jiangxi, a well-known agency set up a foster family program, donating the funds directly to the orphanage. One twelve-year old girl who was in the program recounted to her adoptive family that every month a group of women would be paid to come to the orphanage to take photos with the children to "prove" they were in foster care, and in fact the orphanage was keeping the money and had no foster program. <BR/><BR/>But organizations are unable to ask hard questions out of fear that they will be thrown out of China. Thus, I would support organizations that by-pass the directors and work directly with the children. "Love Without Boundaries", for example, pays for the surgeries they sponsor directly, keeping monies from going to other "projects". <BR/><BR/>BrianResearch-China.Orghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09137919637778021754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-19001207352126457642008-02-14T10:31:00.000-08:002008-02-14T10:31:00.000-08:00Hi Brian,My wife and I have been planning to spons...Hi Brian,<BR/>My wife and I have been planning to sponsor a Chinese child in an orphanage or foster family. But since I read this blog about the financial obstacles that discourage people in China from adopting children within their own country, I started to wonder about contributing to a fund that would help would-be adoptive parents in China to adopt domestically. Perhaps, the international adoption orphanages would have less incentive to dissuade their fellow citizens from pursuing domestic adoptions. I'd love to get your thoughts about this.<BR/> ArtAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-13710570690924700942008-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:002008-02-05T15:05:00.000-08:00We are in line for our second NSN adoption and wou...We are in line for our second NSN adoption and would switch to SN in a heartbeat, but CCAA is making it impossible for us to do so! (Specifically, not allowing us to switch agencies.) Additionally, there are some new changes in the SN program which apparently reduces the amount of agencies participating in SN adoption. So, we wait.<BR/><BR/>So, yes, I agree, the 30% could be much, much higher should CCAA make some regulation changes that favor folks that want to switch from NSN to SN children.<BR/><BR/>MAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-10454917927313449372008-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:002008-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:00Brian,I have heard your name from difference sourc...Brian,<BR/>I have heard your name from difference sources and have just read your blog. I think what you do is wonderful and it certainly give people a lot to think about.<BR/><BR/>I also decided to adopt girls from China after I heard about "The Dying Room" 10 years ago, and I just watched the movie last week. The reality of what life is like for those orphans in the land that I love and called home for 24 years, also the motherland of my two beautiful adopted girls, breaks my heart. I love China and always will, but I also realized my life was extremely privileged and shelted. There are part of life in China I never knew existed before.<BR/><BR/>I wish you continue your research and help educate adoptive family about Chinese culture. <BR/><BR/>TinaKelly And Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15921689012033135490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-43103061736902989392008-02-02T20:27:00.000-08:002008-02-02T20:27:00.000-08:00Dear Carrie & Aaron:Congratulations on your pendin...Dear Carrie & Aaron:<BR/><BR/>Congratulations on your pending adoption. I am so happy that one of China's older children has found a home. Well done!!!<BR/><BR/>BrianResearch-China.Orghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09137919637778021754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-72394681760603720212008-02-02T19:04:00.000-08:002008-02-02T19:04:00.000-08:00Two unconnected thoughts: first, the publicity ov...Two unconnected thoughts: first, the publicity over the fact that many high powered, wealthy men have lovers on the side to provide them with many children shows that the Chinese still want many children and that there is much inequity in what is allowed the powerful vs. the poor. <BR/>Second, if the point of the one child policy is to cut down on the Chinese population, yet all abandoned children are kept in-country, doesn't this work against cutting back on the population? Yes, it's a good thing for the Chinese couples wanting to adopt and for the children being adopted, but it doesn't really help China overall except as it might balance out the gender gap. But then, encouraging women to have more children to fill the IA market doesn't help the world population problem, either.<BR/>Whenever I think I have a grasp on the situation, I always see more complexities. I have enjoyed reading all the posts. They are giving me much to mull over. I just know that there is not a clear-cut moral "right" answer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-10383562886991697352008-02-02T18:37:00.000-08:002008-02-02T18:37:00.000-08:00Thanks Brain for you blog-we are adopting a SN 6 y...Thanks Brain for you blog-we are adopting a SN 6 year old and have gotten a newspaper from you. I think what you do to make a living is a good thing!I enjoy reading your blog! keeo up the good work!Carriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10611309167010819390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-3105476905022709272008-01-31T20:30:00.000-08:002008-01-31T20:30:00.000-08:00Brian,As always, thank you! Your posts always giv...Brian,<BR/>As always, thank you! Your posts always give me plenty to think about...this one more than others.<BR/>As a young (32 when I brought my daughter home from Yangchun in 2005), single, mom it's hard for me to grasp that I may have taken her away from a potential 2 parent Chinese adoptive family...It doesn't make your posts easy for me to read. <BR/>I don't second guess my decision. I did what I thought what best at the time; I am a great Mom and my daughter has a HUGE loving family. <BR/>Being an adoptive mom puts me into the category of adoption expert though and I appreciate the information you share so that I can truly be an educated resource for potential adoptive parents who ask me about adoption options, domestic and international choices and what I would do if I did it again. <BR/>Thank you for your continued research, I appreciate it greatly!Sharihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03734301080820930082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-37199007945910158712008-01-31T13:24:00.000-08:002008-01-31T13:24:00.000-08:00My most humble apologies to you, Brian. There was...My most humble apologies to you, Brian. There was a time when I thought that your very public vocalizations about Hunan, etc. were detrimental to our tenuous relationship with the CCAA. I also had some serious doubts about the whole finding ad issue. But in reality, your continued quest for the truth, and your research, deserve nothing but respect and admiration.Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223125019630414766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-62403962699764571382008-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:002008-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00We have a LID of 4/07, and would like switch from ...We have a LID of 4/07, and would like switch from NSN to SN. We were told by our agency that CCCA has recently changed the way they did their SN process... all US agencies had to apply to become part of a program to receive information about SN kids (via e-mail only), and our agency wasn't one of them. Because our agency wasn't included, they will receive no SN children for the forseeable future. <BR/><BR/>So there you go: we're willing to switch from NSN to SN, but can't do it. Now, I may believe that healthy children are not in abundance waiting for adoption, but you can't tell me that there aren't large numbers of SN kids awaiting adoption. The Chinese people, to my knowledge, generally just doesn't value any SN humans... much less orphans, as Brian mentioned. So, what's up with the tightening of the SN guidelines? <BR/><BR/>We want to switch to SN. We cannot. We are stuck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-6927244237245857462008-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:002008-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00Brian, Thanks for the posts.With 30,000 + people i...Brian, <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the posts.<BR/><BR/>With 30,000 + people in line for 8,500 children a year and dropping. The system will "take care" of itself. <BR/><BR/>I agree that the time is near that the CCAA will stop accepting NSN adoption dossiers with some exceptions until the back log of waiting families is reduced.<BR/><BR/>NEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-58223283375850994562008-01-29T12:20:00.000-08:002008-01-29T12:20:00.000-08:00Thanks for what you are doing Brian!loraThanks for what you are doing Brian!<BR/>loraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-46997861353968794872008-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:002008-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00Anonymous, maybe Brian can correct me if I am wron...Anonymous, maybe Brian can correct me if I am wrong on this but the idea that we have more than a minor part in the China's population control laws is naive or maybe even egotistical. <BR/><BR/>IA did not exist when the One-Child law was enacted and western's society view on it was of no concern to China. They wanted and needed to control their population. What they failed to take into consideration at the time was the impact their 3,000 year old cultural of boy domination would have on gender disparity and girl abandonment. <BR/><BR/>This left China with a huge problem - what to do with all the abadoned girls that they as a government - DON'T WANT. They don't want the hassle,the price tag or the increase population of this issue. Hence the IA program. <BR/><BR/>"What could happen is we could demand accountability, rights for parents who choose to allow their child to be placed for adoption and hopefully encourage ethical adoptions with parents who would feel more empowered."<BR/><BR/>China doesn't want children placed for adoption as a general idea. The whole point of the One-Child policy is that China can't afford the population growth.<BR/><BR/>China may make adustments over the years but unfortunately, the size of the country and the rate of growth makes it virtually impossible to not have some controls in place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-3720542900463153962008-01-28T17:48:00.000-08:002008-01-28T17:48:00.000-08:00Grazie, I can't speak for Brian’s views on this, h...Grazie, I can't speak for Brian’s views on this, however I do think that the only control we have over the big elephant in the room is to stop feeding it with our own self serving motives which enable this elephant to continue to grow!<BR/><BR/>The power we hold over how they now run their family planning laws is much larger than believed. If we chose to adopt SN children or refused to work with them until their policy became more ethical, we would be sending a strong message to the Chinese government that they no longer have the unlimited options once offered, financial support and “no questions asked” type of system.<BR/><BR/>What could happen is we could demand accountability, rights for parents who choose to allow their child to be placed for adoption and hopefully encourage ethical adoptions with parents who would feel more empowered.<BR/><BR/>There is no reason that our kids have no details about their roots and who they were born to, where they were born, why they could not be kept, if they have birth siblings etc.<BR/>These things could all be a reality if China would recognize what we want as an adoption community. <BR/>I am sure we all agree that we want what is best for our kids and what is best for the birth families. We want ethical and legal adoptions free from corruption that comes with the money and incentives involved.<BR/><BR/>So rather than focusing on their flaws and violations of human rights, lets look at where our role is in this. With a huge amount of potential adoptive parents willing to wait in line, with a community that asks very little questions and demands a small amount of information, agencies that tip toe in fear of a bad report card, all of these issues that we are guilty of, are feeding this elephant and over time he is growing bigger and uglier!<BR/><BR/>Change really can begin with us if we are willing to collectively demand it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-28404564146480146912008-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:002008-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00Brian,Thanks for this thoughtful post (and for my ...Brian,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for this thoughtful post (and for my soon-to-be daughter's finding ad!). I just want to say that I am currently part of a pilot program called "XingFu" that is doing almost exactly what you describe as needing to be done to encourage SN adoptions. And I really think this might be the future of adoption from China. <BR/><BR/>From the moment I let my agency know that we were open to a SN adoption, it has been less than four months (we had finished assembling, but not yet submitted, our dossier to China at that point) and we will be traveling to pick up our beautiful two year old daughter on February 14th. <BR/><BR/>Our agency has contracted exclusively with two different orphanages (Changzhou and Wuxi) and has been given unprecedented access to the SN kids there (the directors of our agency have actually traveled to the orphanages and met these children in person, we were given a five minute video of our daughter, all of her medical records, and about half a dozen different photos of our child - plus lengthy written updates. Both of these orphanages are part of the Half The Sky program, so we will also receive a "lifebook" about our daughter once we adopt her with monthly updates and pictures that cover the time she has spent in the orphanage). We were told that the CCAA would be putting adoptive families in this program on a "Green Path" and we would be ushered through much faster than even the average SN's program. And this has been absolutely true. Our turn around from Letter of Intent to Letter Seeking Confirmation (basically our referral - for those who don't know how SN adoption works) was 70 days, (and I think this will get much faster as more families join this program) and we received our Travel Approval TEN DAYS after we sent back our Letter of Seeking Confirmation. <BR/><BR/>Our agency exclusively places children from Changzhou and Wuxi, thus enabling families to adopt "orphanage sisters" (or brothers! There are a lot of wonderful SN boys who are they are still looking to place!) and you are, of course, able to request the parameters of the special needs you feel your family is equipped to handle. There are children who have such "minor" issues as an extra finger or toe, large birth marks or scars, or simply being older, and there are children with "bigger" but still entirely manageable SN's like cleft issues, amniotic banding syndrome etc. Many of these children are under one year old, as well. <BR/><BR/>I realize that everyone needs to come to these decisions in their own way. And I would never presume to push someone towards a SN adoption if they hadn't done all the research they should and considered what it might mean to their family, but when I hear or read about potential A-parents bemoaning what now looks like a five year wait, I just want to point out that I saw my daughter's face ten minutes after I let my agency know that we were open to a child with SN's, and that I will hold her in my arms less than five months after I first saw her face. <BR/><BR/>My agency is still looking to place over fifty children, and has just been told that they will be allowed to contract with several other orphanages in the same way. I encourage people reading this who might be interested, to do a search for "XingFu" and take a look at this program. I can't tell you how happy we are that we are part of it. <BR/><BR/>Thanks again.<BR/>-MaiaMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11174671099436752890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-2503154719425538232008-01-28T05:14:00.000-08:002008-01-28T05:14:00.000-08:00Brian, thanks for your work, by the way. I have on...Brian, thanks for your work, by the way. I have one of your finding ads, and I treasure it.<BR/>You and Dawn bring up some interesting issues in your discussion, but neither of you mention the elephant in the room, which is the One Child Policy. I don't know who dreamt that up, but coupled with the thousands-year old view of women as second class citizens, the result is tragic, not just for our poor abandoned girls, but also for their mothers and fathers. <BR/>Although I'm sure that for many, having a baby is easier than feeding a pig as a source of income, many of these mothers and fathers abandon newborn children not for economic reasons and for profit, but because the government MAKES THEM. The government creates the necessity for abortion and abandonment, and probably for infanticide. You may argue that population control makes it necessary, but you will never convince me that such human rights abuses are ever justifiable. Recently the government is even threatening to crack down on people who can afford to pay the fines for extra children. Of course its not equitable. Only the super rich can have the joys of a large family, of seeing your child surrounded by loving siblings, of maximizing your chances that you'll end up with at least one child that will care for you in your old age? The chinese are human too, and they deserve what all humans deserve: respect for their reproductive choices, and for their unborn children.<BR/>GrazieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15636692.post-69083269294712145012008-01-26T18:25:00.000-08:002008-01-26T18:25:00.000-08:00If private adoption is legal in China, how much is...If private adoption is legal in China, how much is it done? I guess I am thinking that if there are children being abandoned and ending up in orphanages, I would think maybe there is an informal system where a Chinese couple is able to find a baby like we do in the US through private adoption. Why do they need to go through an orphanage? If the babies are in the community I wonder if most Chinese couples who want to adopt bypass the formal system and do it privately.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00992025722004359389noreply@blogger.com