Vietnamese Babies 'Sold to US'

(NEWSER) - Guatemala and Vietnam, two of the most popular countries for international adoptions, recently halted their programs, following reports that some babies are kidnapped and put up for adoption or birth mothers coerced—fueled by the $30,000 an adoption can fetch. Vietnam says it will no longer allow adoptions to the US, while Guatemala will resume them only after slogging through a case-by-case review of pending adoptions. More»

US families adopt fewer kids abroad due to strict new policies

(NEWSER) - US adoptions from abroad have sunk for the third straight year, mostly because China and Russia have tougher policies, AP reports. A drop in adoptions from Haiti and South Korea have also added to the 15% decline since 2004. But a spike in adoptions from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Vietnam have partly balanced the scales, experts say. More»

Search for birth parents leaves many frustrated

(NEWSER) - For the US adoptive families who return to China in search of their children's birth parents, their travels often, and frustratingly, wind their way to dead ends. Adoptions in China remain defiantly closed and shrouded in mystery—the country prohibits the abandoning of children, so most babies are abandoned anonymously, the LA Times reports. One professor who has made several documentaries about such adoptions can cite only about 20 cases in which the adoptive families found their children's birth relatives; more than 60,000 Chinese babies have been adopted by Americans in the last two decades. More»

(NEWSER) - Americans are adopting far fewer Chinese children thanks to a set of Chinese fitness rules aimed at accomplishing just that, Time reports. Adoptions from the US have fallen 50% since May 2007, when China instituted rules requiring prospective parents to be, among other things, married, under 50, non-obese, and not on antidepressants. “Three years ago I was an acceptable parent, and now I’m not,” says one recently divorced would-be adopter. “It seems kind of unfair.” More»

Could be boon for thousands in US foster care

(NEWSER) - Heightened awareness of child trafficking and improving economies abroad are making it harder for Americans to adopt foreign kids. US officials are taking a closer look at visa applications and discouraging adoptions from countries that don’t comply with a new international adoption agreement, USA Today reports. At the same time, China, Russia, and South Korea have begun encouraging more domestic adoptions. More»