I could go on and on about chinas issue with child abandonment. My daughter was left on the inside gate of a governmental building. Alot of international orphanages have children that will end up in orphanages their whole lives due to "special needs" which can be as small as a birthmark on their face or a cleft lip (repaired thru simple surgery).
something we consider as "nothing" can be a big deal-especially in China. Here is a post from a group I belong to that speaks about the problems in china. i cant post the link cause its a private group but i will cut and paste.
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One of the things that always puzzled me about China adoption was that I could not understand how a society could pressure mothers to abandon their baby daughters on street corners (Laney's "finding place was a block away from the SWI under a tree). On the way to the SWI, one of our excellent China facilitator's, Martin, explained.
In China, when you are ready to have your one and only child, you must apply to the government for a permit. There are people in every town who work for the government as community watchers. They report all unacceptable behavior. If a women becomes pregnant w/o a permit and a watcher notices, they first ask her about the permit. If she does not have one or can not get one, they suggest she terminate the pregnancy by going to the hospital herself. If she does not go, the pressure continues to build to the point of harassment. It is not unheard of for women to be forced into cars and taken for forced late term abortion.
When boys are born, the government gives them land and other benefits that girls do not get. This is especially important to the rural population (about 80% of China's 1.3 billion people). Boys also care or their aging parents, while the women go to their husbands family. It is much more complex than this of course, but that is a glimpse at what creates this situation.
It is illegal to terminate a pregnancy because the child is a girl, I think it
is also illegal to have the test to determine if the baby is a girl or boy.
However, with enough money, either or both can be done. It is also illegal to
abandon a child (girls and children with birth defects or health problems are
the most common, healthy boys usually only if they are a second child). In some rural area's you are allowed a second child if the first is a girl.
So instead of learning the sex and or ending the preg, my daughters bio mom left her in a safe place where she would be found quickly. This was true of all the finding places we saw. Maybe her mother hid in the shadows for months just to give Laney the gift of life. Maybe she withstood tremendous pressure from friends and family. I don't know. But whatever the circumstance, it brought Elaina Siobhan to me and into my family, and for this I am grateful to her with my whole heart and entire being.
So now I understand that every baby girl in China left in a Finding Place is a
supreme gift of life to a child from it's mother. I have only love for my
child's bio mother and the other bio mothers who have made this sacrifice. I'm
really ****** at the Chinese government. It seems like a few basic steps could level the playing field or at least get things rolling in the right direction.
With love for all the mothers, fathers and babies, Heidi
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If you are interested in checking out some more info, here are some links:
http://www.bringmehope.org/video/index.html
http://www.shaohannahshope.org/
Anyone who wants more information, can PM me. I will be happy to assist anyone with this.
God bless.
