My husband and I always knew we would adopt. We never thought much about the ethnicity of the child. My husband and his siblings are all adopted, as is my uncle. In America, it just wasn't an issue. Living here in SK I've met a number of Korean adoptees and they tend to skew towards the angry and bitter. I know this is not the norm, but we have just started our own adoption process (Restarted actually, but that's another story.) and I admit it's influenced my decision to request a child that matches the ethnic makeup of myself and my hubby whereas before I just didn't care. It should also be noted that in Korea not only are unwed mothers ostracized, but adoption of any kind is looked at as abnormal. Especially out of family adoptions. Years ago I taught a group of Korean fifth graders. One of our units included a story about identical triplets who were adopted into the same community and discovered one another. In the story the kids all knew they were adopted, but I asked my kids how they would react to finding out that they were adopted. To a person they all said that they would thank their adopted parents then set out to find their *real* families. I do think there are times when the government needs to enforce ethics. If not for Loving v. Virginia (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0388_0001_ZO.html) my husband and I may still not have been able to legally marry in most of the South. But ya gotta do the research. Before deciding that adoption is bad and intercountry adoption evil, perhaps they should talk to some of the other over 200,000 KADs out there instead of listening to one local, vocal group.
It should also be noted that in Korea not only are unwed mothers ostracized, but adoption of any kind is looked at as abnormal. Especially out of family adoptions. Years ago I taught a group of Korean fifth graders. One of our units included a story about identical triplets who were adopted into the same community and discovered one another. In the story the kids all knew they were adopted, but I asked my kids how they would react to finding out that they were adopted. To a person they all said that they would thank their adopted parents then set out to find their *real* families.
I do think there are times when the government needs to enforce ethics. If not for Loving v. Virginia (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0388_0001_ZO.html) my husband and I may still not have been able to legally marry in most of the South. But ya gotta do the research. Before deciding that adoption is bad and intercountry adoption evil, perhaps they should talk to some of the other over 200,000 KADs out there instead of listening to one local, vocal group.
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