LilMtnCbn
06-24-2004, 08:48 AM
http://www.lsj.com/news/local/040624_adoption_1b.html
Adoptive parents increasingly seek children outside the U.S.
Acceptance and security sending people elsewhere
CHRIS HOLMES/Lansing State Journal
By Chrystal Liebold
Lansing State Journal
When Mike and Mary Ramirez were married in 2001, they were both in their 30s
and knew they wanted more children than they would be able to have.
Fearing a birth mother changing her mind, they decided to adopt
internationally. In April, they went to Guatemala to bring home Alex, now 7
months old.
"With foreign countries, once a birth mother terminates her parental rights,
she can't go back," said Mike Ramirez, a Lansing accountant. "Here, a mother
could come back three months later for their children."
The Ramirez family is part of a nationwide trend: International adoptions
increased last year for the 11th year in a row, according to the U.S. State
Department. About 13 percent, or 200,000, of the country's 1.6 million adopted
children were born outside the United States, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau.
It's tough to gauge international adoptions locally because multiple agencies
conduct them. But the demand is strong, said Nancy Cannon of the Lansing-based
nonprofit Adoption Associates. The agency facilitated the adoption of 26
foreign children last year.
International adoptions usually take less than 12 months, while domestic
adoptions can take years. And for every family wanting to adopt, hundreds of
international babies are waiting. But for every healthy Caucasian baby born in
the United States, there are 30 couples in line.
"People are finding there's a real joy in adopting internationally - they feel
it's their small way of making a difference," Cannon said.
Most children adopted in mid-Michigan come from Guatemala, China and Russia,
she said.
Dave and Marie Williams of Lansing adopted their daughter, Christina,
domestically four years ago. They adopted Aaron from Guatemala earlier this
year, when he was 10 months old. They wanted to make sure Christina had a
brother.
"With domestic adoptions, it's almost like a crap shoot ... you never know when
it will be or if it will ever come about," said Dave Williams, an electrical
inspector and teacher at Lansing Community College.
Cannon said international adoption is simply becoming more accepted.
"The world is becoming more diverse, and we're embracing different cultures.
Parents are reaching a point where they say, 'I don't care how I am a parent, I
just want to be a mom or a dad.' "
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
Adoptive parents increasingly seek children outside the U.S.
Acceptance and security sending people elsewhere
CHRIS HOLMES/Lansing State Journal
By Chrystal Liebold
Lansing State Journal
When Mike and Mary Ramirez were married in 2001, they were both in their 30s
and knew they wanted more children than they would be able to have.
Fearing a birth mother changing her mind, they decided to adopt
internationally. In April, they went to Guatemala to bring home Alex, now 7
months old.
"With foreign countries, once a birth mother terminates her parental rights,
she can't go back," said Mike Ramirez, a Lansing accountant. "Here, a mother
could come back three months later for their children."
The Ramirez family is part of a nationwide trend: International adoptions
increased last year for the 11th year in a row, according to the U.S. State
Department. About 13 percent, or 200,000, of the country's 1.6 million adopted
children were born outside the United States, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau.
It's tough to gauge international adoptions locally because multiple agencies
conduct them. But the demand is strong, said Nancy Cannon of the Lansing-based
nonprofit Adoption Associates. The agency facilitated the adoption of 26
foreign children last year.
International adoptions usually take less than 12 months, while domestic
adoptions can take years. And for every family wanting to adopt, hundreds of
international babies are waiting. But for every healthy Caucasian baby born in
the United States, there are 30 couples in line.
"People are finding there's a real joy in adopting internationally - they feel
it's their small way of making a difference," Cannon said.
Most children adopted in mid-Michigan come from Guatemala, China and Russia,
she said.
Dave and Marie Williams of Lansing adopted their daughter, Christina,
domestically four years ago. They adopted Aaron from Guatemala earlier this
year, when he was 10 months old. They wanted to make sure Christina had a
brother.
"With domestic adoptions, it's almost like a crap shoot ... you never know when
it will be or if it will ever come about," said Dave Williams, an electrical
inspector and teacher at Lansing Community College.
Cannon said international adoption is simply becoming more accepted.
"The world is becoming more diverse, and we're embracing different cultures.
Parents are reaching a point where they say, 'I don't care how I am a parent, I
just want to be a mom or a dad.' "
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
