Adoption stories tell only part of the tale

I was disturbed to read Sunday's article, "Suburban families fear moratorium on foreign adoptions."

What disturbs me is not that these families have been unable to adopt, but that they seem to feel entitled to do so. Adoption corruption is rampant, here and abroad. Children are seized, families forced into signing away their rights.

I sympathize with families who turn to adoption to build a family. They should protect themselves by finding out what the agencies won't tell them.

Books like Mirah Riben's "The Stork Market: America's Multi Billion-Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry," illuminate the larger picture. Anyone can call themselves an "adoption professional." Infant adoption is very different from the foster adoption, though most see no distinction.

In foster adoption, parental rights are already terminated. Infant adoption assumes that affluent parents are more fit than those who are not. This is classism in the extreme. As Riben says, adoption doesn't promise a better life, only a different one.

What about the birth families, whose voices are seldom heard? And what about the adoptees? We become adults who can speak for ourselves. Today's adoptions are touted as "open," but today's adoptees will find it just as difficult to uncover their pasts. Facts are faked, invented or simply forgotten. Adoptees are second-class citizens, denied by law the right to our own heritage.

Even in the event of terminal illness, experience shows the chances of opening records are slim. Instead of supporting infant adoption, prospective adopters could help some of the many children in foster care. And those who do adopt must recognize that their joy comes at others' expense.

Adoption today isn't about finding families for children who need them. It's about finding the perfect baby for those who can afford one.

Triona Guidry

Cary