Many news stories have talked about Americans seeking to adopt Haitian orphans In the wake of the devastating earthquake. Origins-USA encourages efforts to help Haitians through donations to respected relief agencies which can use funds to reunite children with their families and to help care for children in their own country.
International adoption should be a last resort, used only when necessary for children to receive medical care that they cannot obtain in their own country (Position Statement on International Adoption). Money spent bringing children to the US is better spent helping their families and relatives care for them in their own countries.
There's talk about eliminating "red tape" to expedite adoptions. In truth, the so-called red tape is regulations designed to assure children are true orphans and do not have family members or neighbors to care for them. Origins-USA urges you to let your representatives in Congress, President Barack Obama, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton know that family support, not adoption, is the way to help the almost 400,000 children in Haitian orphanages.
Origins-USA recommends the following articles and blog posts to learn more about this issue:
UNICEF: Foreign Adoptions Last Resort for Haiti Quake Orphans
CUB: Haiti's Children Best Seved by Care, Not Removal
Bastard Nation: Statement on Haitian Adoptions and "Babylifts"
First Mother Forum: What of the Children in Haitian Orphanages?
Family Preservation Advocate: Haiti Update: Follow the Money
Karen Ciandella (Carlsbad Adoptive Families Examiner): Children of Haiti: determining eligibility for adoption