I read "Another Place at the
Table" by Kathy Harrison. I found there to be a significant ethical
dilemma somewhat hidden within one of the stories of a foster child.
Harrison, a foster parent, was planning
on adopting one of her foster children, Karen, while the other foster child,
Sara, was not to be adopted by her. Though Harrison cannot be expected to adopt
every child she lets into her home, I found this situation to be ethically
difficult. I cannot imagine being a child, abandoned by those who I believed to
love me, only to come to a home where my foster parents choose to adopt another
foster child instead of me. This could easily result with a child feeling even
less loved by those who claim to love them most, as occurred with Sara. It
would be also be a very difficult situation to explain to a foster child that
you love them, but not in the same way as you love another foster child. In Sara's
case, it solidified her idea that she was the problem and that she would never
be good enough for someone to love. She was eventually hospitalized due to her
difficulties in handling this poor self-esteem.
This leads me to the ethical dilemma; is
it ethical to adopt one child over another while both children are in the care
of the foster parent? On one side, Karen does have the right to grow up in “an
atmosphere of affection and of moral and material security,” which would be
provided by the Harrisons (Keller,
Ethics Toolbox). On the other
hand, Sara also has this right. The environment that Harrison has now created
for Sara is an environment that is unable to provide “care, treatment, and
guidance that will assist the child in developing into a self-sufficient
adult,” which infringes on her rights as a child (Keller, Moral Principals and Rights Handout). I think it would have been
more ethical if the Harrison’s had waited until Sara had left their home before
they had adopted Karen. This would have taken into account both Karen’s and
Sara’s rights while causing the least amount of harm to all parties. Though as
ethical as it may be in theory, I understand that this may not have been
plausible in their particular situation due to complex rules and regulations of
adoption. I feel as though this would be an interesting ethical question
to discuss in our classroom.
Julie Thurmes
Julie,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you read a really fascinating book that addressed an interesting topic and something I have never thought about before. I agree with you that, as foster parents, the Harrison’s should not be adopting Karen at the same time that they are hosting Sara. It seems like a cruel thing to put another child through. Although I also see the other side where the Harrison’s have the right to adopt whomever they want. You pointed out that it would have been more ethical to adopt Karen after Sara had left the home and I agree with you but the question is how long Sara will be there, it could be up to a few years. I believe that the Harrison’s should have taken themselves out of the foster care situation when they started the adoption process with Karen. That way Sara would not have to be around during that difficult process and she would not need to know about the adoption. You have a very interesting topic that not only addresses adoption but the foster care system as well. This could make for an interesting paper but I wonder how much research has been done around this issue. Overall it sounds like a really interesting book.
Kristen B.
Jena Stommes graded reply #7
ReplyDeleteWow! This really sounds like kind of a sad story. I think I can definitely read into some of the potential effects on Sara (but maybe that just the nursing in me). I would find this very unfair. It's not like many parents tell one of their children that they love them and not the other child; I would imagine it almost has the same effects. I come from a huge family and sometimes I would almost feel left out if my mom did more things with my older sister than me or I would be jealous of them. Sometimes this made me unhappy, but I don't think it would be near the same level as Sara felt in your story. I like the ethical question that you raise. I feel like this story of the Harrisons is only keeping in mind the best interests of Karen. I agree on the principles and rights that you selected as being violated. I also think that beneficence and non-maleficence are not being upheld. One solution to this may be to wait and adopt Karen when Sara leaves, but they could also support Sara in finding a new family to adopt her. It’s sounds like a good book to read and definitely raises the question of what is ethical when it comes to adoption.