Blog Post 8)

In the Pertman reading, this is the first time I have heard of the Hague Convention (74). I think it is very helpful in cases like Michele’s story adopting Jose. When considering transnational adoption it puts the adoptive parents in a more difficult situation because they are miles apart. I would imagine that communicating back and forth takes a longer time and during that waiting period it must be difficult to know how or what to decide as the next step. I would not want to know that I was being cheated and deceived or that the child I was adopting is with these untrustworthy people and not getting proper care. At the same time I am concerned about how unsafe it is to rush the adoption process.  I mean there could be missing information or something left either accidentally or on purpose out because the process was rushed that maybe the adoptive parents are unaware of or did not take a second look just in case. One thing I thought was unethical is that some agencies withheld the child’s health information from the adoptive parents (78). This reminds me of the question I asked towards the beginning of the semester about the children who have difficulties or challenges will probably have a less chance of getting adopted than children are not challenged. If those adoptive parents knew about the child’s issues would they still have adopted the child?  I think it is wrong that the agency withheld the information and it should be their responsibility to find adoptive parents that are the best interest of the child.  

The article by Kim Park Nelson that I never thought about was the desire for authentic objects of culture. “Parents’ ideals of the authentic exotic are met by trips to foreign nations to pick up their foreign children, with ample opportunities to shop for authentic, exotic merchandise while there (94).” This sounds a little crazy to me. I feel like adoptive parents would not go through all that money and the adoption process just to go to a foreign country to buy authentic objects. They could easily do that without having to adopt.

From Kim Park Nelson’s reading I am uncertain about if the gift giving/ support for the birth parents are unethical or right (101). I think that if the birth parents and the adoptive parents have an open relationship they can decide what they want from that relationship whether it is giving gifts or not. However, I can understand though that some people may take advantage of it or feel offensive by it with the power differences (103). 

-Ka L.