Adoption Advocate Answers Your Questions

March 30, 2005 — -- "20/20's" Elizabeth Vargas recently reported on an international adoption scandal stemming from the adoption of children from Cambodia. In her report, Vargas spoke with Trish Maskew, president and chief executive officer of Ethica: A Voice for Ethical Adoption, who advocates better regulation of both domestic and international adoption.

ABCNEWS.com received hundreds of questions from viewers interested in adoption and in helping the Cambodian orphans featured in "20/20's" story. Below is a selection of questions and Maskew's answers. For more information about adoption issues, visit Ethicanet on the Web at www.Ethicanet.org.

Terry of Alpharetta, Ga., writes:
I saw the "20/20" special and would like to help the orphanage that was shown. Is there a way to send donation directly to them and communicate directly to them?

Trish Maskew
Terry,
The orphanage profiled was in Siem Reap, home of the famous Angkor Wat. We are unaware of any formal programs for donations to Siem Reap at this time. After conferring with Judi Mosley, featured on the show, we agreed to accept donations here at Ethica for the Siem Reap orphanage. Ethica is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and all donations are fully tax-deductible. You can donate by check or through PayPal. Instructions are available at http://www.ethicanet.org/item.php?recordid=donations

We'd also recommend two other organizations that viewers may wish to consider.

The Tabitha Foundation (http://www.tabitha-usa.org), operated by U.S. parents of Cambodian children, builds houses and digs wells to keep birth families intact, and also provides school supplies and other needed items to the children of Cambodia.

The No Child Left Out organization (http://www.nclo.org/Feed%20the%20Children.htm) has a rice program for Cambodian orphanages.

Karen of Brighton, Mass. writes:
I am the parent of an 11-year-old Chinese girl whom I adopted in 1995 from the Hunan Province, when she was 13 months old. I have never had any reason to think that there is anything amiss with adoptions from China. Do you know any differently? Thank you very much.

Trish Maskew
Karen,
No, to our knowledge, allegations of solicitation and trafficking have not arisen in connection with Chinese adoptions. China's adoption system is different from Cambodia's in many ways. Perhaps the greatest difference is that China has an adoption system that is centrally run through the Chinese government, under strict regulation. The Chinese have developed a system which removes the financial incentives for solicitation and trafficking in children. This centrally operated adoption system is, in many ways, a model system for other countries. It does, however, require a significant governmental infrastructure that countries such as Cambodia do not have.

One thing that the Chinese children and Cambodian children do have in common is the lack of information on their birth families and origins. Most children in China are anonymously abandoned and have no identifying information.

B. Grace of Seattle writes: Could you please point out any good sources (other than yourself, of course) where we could research more about the potential problems and issues with foreign adoption agencies? Thank you.

Trish Maskew
Dear B. Grace,
While there are some resources available, there is not a central location from which this information can be obtained. We are aware of no other organization whose primary focus is adoption ethics and reform. A brief primer on choosing an adoption agency can be found on our site at: http://www.ethicanet.org/item.php?recordid=chooseprovider.

Undoubtedly, the very best sources available to prospective adoptive parents are other adoptive parents. Those considering adoption should join the vast Internet adoption community. There are online communities for virtually every country. Many of these are found at Yahoo Groups (www.groups.yahoo.com). The adoption Web site Comeunity (www.comeunity.com) also has a listing of online chat groups about adoption.

In the past there have been several sites that rated agencies, or provided questionnaires about agency experiences. Several have been closed due to lawsuits filed by adoption agencies, leaving a void in this type of information. There are, however, some privately run sites that provide personal stories and resources for parents such as http://www.adoptionagencychecklist.com/page651.html.

General information on adoption can be found at sites such as:

http://www.adopt.org
http://www.adoptioninstitute.org
http://naic.acf.hhs.gov

Yanny of Raytown, Mo., writes:
Has the Cambodian government made any progress in reforming the adoption process? If and when they do, is it hopeful that the moratorium on the Cambodian adoption will be lifted?

Trish Maskew
Yanny,
Unfortunately, there has been little progress since 2001 when the moratorium was imposed. There have been attempts to write a new adoption law. The passage of the law has been stymied, however, by the fact that until recently Cambodia did not actually have a sitting legislature. Cambodia has met with various countries, including the United States and France, to discuss ways to improve the system. Various nongovernmental organizations have also lent support. One of the biggest obstacles to progress seems to be that Cambodia has little interest in investigating or prosecuting those involved in trafficking or other illegal activities.

That being said, there is indeed hope that the moratorium would be lifted if the Cambodian government moves to address problems in adoption. We believe that a reopening is definitely possible. It will require concerted effort on the part of both the Cambodian and U.S. governments. We firmly believe that the U.S. government must play a proactive role in proffering ideas and solutions to the Cambodian government, and should consider providing the necessary resources to assist the Cambodians in developing a safe, transparent adoption system. Simply waiting for Cambodia to act is not an option that puts children first. Cambodia needs to reopen, and it must do so with additional safeguards in place. In order for that to happen, both governments have to make children a priority.