|
They say love is blind, but apparently that’s not the case in China. In December 2006, the Chinese government announced it was tightening restrictions on who could adopt.
For the past decade, China has been the country of choice for Canadians adopting from abroad. China accounted for 973 of Canada’s 1,871 foreign adoptions in 2005. But that could all change after new restrictions on adoptions are implemented in May of this year.
In just a few shorts months, priority will be given to couples that have been married for at least two years and are between the ages of 30 and 50. This new requirement has created apprehension among prospective parents, particularly single men and women who use foreign adoptions as a way to help them create a family. They’ve also added a stipulation “anyone divorced has to have been married at least five years.”
While the Chinese government may believe a two-parent family is far superior to a single-parent family, there are thousands of men and women proving that theory wrong. Putting such a restriction on adoption is ridiculous.Other requirements set out by the Chinese government will push potential parents who are physically disabled, morbidly obese, on medication for depression or anxiety, or have a facial deformity, to the bottom of the waiting list. They have also imposed stipulations on health, income and siblings.
The Chinese government is becoming far more discriminate about who can adopt their children. These parents - whether they are over or under weight, single or married - all want to love a child, who, for whatever reason, has been put up for adoption by their biological parents.
It’s becoming evident to many that “the golden age of adoption from China is coming to an end.”
“The major impact is it’s more and more difficult for families to adopt,” said Martha Maslen, executive director of the Children’s Bridge, an Ottawa adoption agency.
While China isn’t the first country to adopt such restrictions, it is at this moment, having the greatest impact on Canadians looking to adopt. In fact with these changes, families may need to look to other countries for children to adopt.
With these impending changes, concern exists for those families who have already adopted from China and were perhaps looking to adopt a second or third sibling. If they don’t meet the new criteria, they may be out of luck.
And if more countries follow suit on these restrictions, many families in Canada may not come to be.
| 
