I have visited two orphanages in China, but not for the purpose of adopting anyone. Those were government-run and as far as I could tell the kids were all well-cared for. But most are special-needs kids. While it is true that some Chinese families would abandon girl babies, because of the one-child policy, that is not as common as before. Now, girls and boys are abandoned or given for adoption because their needs exceed what their birth families can handle. Few Chinese families adopt children, so for these kids their only likely adoptive parents would be foreigners. Government-run child welfare homes are very careful in placing their charges with adoptive families. The process can take at least six months, and it is quite expensive. (More about that later.) My friends in the USA who have adopted Chinese babies have told me the process is grueling and exhausting.

Americans, especially those who are devout Christians, seem especially keen on adopting Chinese kids. The children’s homes know there is a demand in the States for Chinese adoptions, and less scrupulous homes will go out to the countryside offering to educate and raise children of impoverished families for a small sum. Then these homes will put the children up for adoption, and send them to the USA without the birth parents’ knowledge. Needless to say, these kids do not have special needs. The homes are using the adoption fees, which are several thousand dollars for each child, as a source of income.

If you want more details, visit my blog, Wheat-dogg’s World. I wrote a long post back in February and have included links to other sources in my post.