Hundreds of families in limbo after China ends international adoptions: NPR

Three years ago, Laurie Carey of Birmingham, Alabama, admired videos of the little boy she was considering adopting from China saying “Mama” and “Baba” while looking at photos of Carey's family.

But this week she had to face the painful reality that she might never hear those words from him in person. Worst of all, she didn't know how her adopted son was doing.

“We want answers,” Carey said. “We wonder what the kids who had pictures and videos of us are thinking: 'Oh, I've been let down again.'”

Carey is one of hundreds of families whose hopes of adopting a child from China were dashed this week with the suspension of China's international adoption program. The Chinese government said the only exception would be for families adopting children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China.

The government has adjusted its policies to keep them “in line with” international trends, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday, according to Reuters. “We thank foreign governments and families who want to adopt Chinese children for their good intentions and the love and kindness they have shown,” Ning said.

The decision applies to both current and future adoption applications. The State Department said Friday that it is still working to clarify the reasons for the policy change and is trying to figure out what it means for families with pending applications.

After years of waiting, the families are shocked and heartbroken

Carey and her husband were matched with a 3-year-old boy from China in July 2020. They expected the adoption process to take a long time given the COVID-19 pandemic. But even two years later, after the virus had subsided, Carey said they were unclear about the next steps.

“'Just be patient,' we were told for four years, 'just be patient,' which is difficult when you have a child on the other side of the world and your whole life depends on it,” she said.

Despite years of uncertainty, Carey said news of China's policy change this week triggered a new wave of grief. All the while, in the back of her mind, she held onto the hope that she would one day be able to adopt a child.

“The finality of it all hurts,” she said.

Aimee Welch of Louisville, Kentucky, was planning to travel to China in a few weeks to adopt a 6-year-old girl when COVID struck in March 2020. She hoped her chance to adopt would come soon, as only last year were some families able to move forward with their adoption process. After years of waiting, Welch said, this week felt like a punch in the gut.

A photo of Aimee Welch and her family taken last Thanksgiving. It includes a portrait of her adopted daughter in China.

Aimee Welch

Hide caption

Show/hide label

Aimee Welch

“It's a locked door that won't close,” she said. “And when I think of that little girl, we promised to come for her. How could she, as a six-year-old, process the reason why we didn't come when we promised we would?”

Welch hopes that China reverses its decision and at least allows families whose cases are still pending to adopt. Until then, she has asked the adoption agency to tell her adopted daughter that she has not been forgotten. “We asked that they give her the message that we would have come for her if we could have, that we never gave up,” she said.

The end of an era

China opened its doors to international adoption in 1992. At the time, it was a response to the country's strict one-child policy, which forced many families to give their children up for adoption. Many couples chose to give girls up for adoption, preferring male offspring.

But over the last decade, the government has relaxed its restrictions and allowed married couples to have up to three children. The number of international adoptions has also decreased over the years, with domestic adoptions becoming more preferred. At the same time, attitudes towards international adoption have also changed, with many grappling with the ethical concerns and the impact it can have on those adopted.

Nevertheless, over the past 30 years, China's program has resulted in over 160,000 children being adopted by families overseas. Half of these children were adopted by families in the United States. The majority of children adopted from China were children with disabilities.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, there were 159,000 orphans in China in 2022. The council added that many more orphans either live alone or are cared for by extended families who cannot care for them.