Ethics: Chinese Adoptee Birthparent Search Organizations 101
Introduction: When I was little, I believed in what I and my parents were told at the time: that because of the One Child Policy in China, baby girls were abandoned due to traditional preferences for boys.* According to the adoption paperwork, all Chinese adoptees had been abandoned. Being abandoned on paper was, in fact, a requirement to submit a child into the international adoption program. Common findings spots included hospitals, orphanages, government offices, markets, streets, etc. This abandonment narrative created many emotional barriers to curiosity about my Chinese family. If they didn't want me, didn't love me, then why should I search for them? Indeed, how could I search even if I wanted to if they abandoned me without a note, name, or address? Coming out of the fog: It wasn't until after watching One Child Nation by Nanfu Wang that I finally understood that what we were told was, by and large, inaccurate. Due to corruption and collusion between midwives, or...
