In China, the landscape of child adoption is changing. New regulation on international application has made it harder for prospective parents outside of China to adopt. According to the U.S. State Department, Americans adopted 7,906 Chinese children in 2005, a number that dropped to 3,909 children in 2008.
However, Melody Zhang from Children’s Hope International said that the changing number is not because there are fewer parents who want to adopt, but because more Chinese parents want to adopt.
“In the past, Chinese people would not consider adopting someone out of the family, but more and more people are educated, and they understand the important part is to raise the child, not necessarily a blood tie,” she said.
Also, the growth of the economy in Asia has given people more means to raise a child and less likely to give up their children. Additionally, Chinese parents are more comfortable in raising a daughter than before, which may contribute to the decreased number of orphans at adoption centers.
There are currently 30,000 international applications waiting to be processed in China. One American couple, Chris and Tammy Watkins are in the process of adopting a new child. “They need a family to love them,” said Tammy Watkins.
– by Tommy Chen
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