Saturday, February 17, 2007

Get a Load of This

This was in one of the local papers from a surrounding county. These are the things that get under my skin.


BIG BABY GIRL SALE - ONLY $17,000! - Jim Dossett

The Chinese have given us many things; gunpowder, spaghetti, woks, Jackie Chan. Oh yes, they've also been delighted to give us their discarded children. Actually, they're delighted to sell us their kids.

And government officials have laid down new ground rules for foreigners who want to adopt children from China's overflowing orphanages.Prospective adoptive parents must not be obese; no more than 50 years old; must not take antidepressants; must not have severe facial deformities. So the bottom line is, if you take up two seats on a plane, are a member of AARP, take Prozac, or resemble the Elephant Man - No Chinese kids for you!

Mind you, these edicts are issued by a culture where parents traditionally leave female babies at orphanages or by the roadside because they wanted a son, or because the government allows them only one child. Ninety-five percent of the children available for adoption are girls. I'm amazed that one of the world's oldest civilizations, dating back to more than six millennnia, still doesn't realize that women are the best of us all.

I doubt whether many Campbell Countians would be eligible to adopt a Chinese baby - not because we're fat, old, or grotesquely deformed - but because it costs more to buy a child in China than many of us make in a year.According to Chinese baby brokers, the estimated total cost of a no-frills adoption, not including travel, is about $12,000. The estimated total cost plus travel for two is $17,120.00 - such a deal."End of Year Sale! Get your certified, pre-owned girl child for the amazing price of $17,120! She's a beauty despite a few minor scratches and dents, but comes with a manufacturer's warranty - no surprises under the hood or the diaper!"

Once the bucks are shelled out for the kiddie commodity, who knows where the money ends up. Maybe some of the cash trickles into the new charity created by the China Center for Adoption Affairs. This burgeoning group of capitalists is hopeful the charity will improve conditions in orphanages and "keep infants and young children alive and well enough to be adopted." It makes you wonder about the fate of toddlers who are not well.

Despite the high costs and stringent rules issued by the baby dealers, childless couples from the U.S. and around the world still flock to China in hopes of bringing baby home. God bless you decent souls. Stick religiously to your pretrip diets of carrot sticks and cottage cheese and look forward to the fat and happy times you'll have raising your baby girl!

5 comments:

Stephanie Wilson she/her @babysteph said...

Oh gosh, I want one. Seriously. My hubby wants a girl and I think a baby girl from China would be perfect. It breaks my heart the families that could give them homes, but money is "more important" to who holds them ransom...

SIGH.

On a lighter note- if you get the chance, be sure to stop by & participate in a Photo Tag of Your Mom here!

Anonymous said...

I really need to find the original article -

Speaking from experience, (currently doing an adoption from China) only $3,000 of any package actually reaches the orphanages. (You try to raise a kid for two years on $3,000 - gwan.) The rest?

Is on this side. Agency fees, documents, registration - you name it.

One blog deserves another - feel free to check mine over at Live Journal -

http://kyburg.livejournal.com

Becky said...

Oh, Amy, the tone of this article really upset me. Baby girls for sale? Baby "dealers"? The atitude of the writer really unnerved me. Yes, there are "issues", things to gripe about, things that are unfair in the system. But to imply that our daughters were "purchased" is insulting.

Val said...

This guy is an idiot. And his editor says he was attempting to be funny AND poke fun at the Chinese. I think he struck out twice...especially since I'm SURE the CCAA is reading a small-town TN newspaper. Mhmm.

Thanks for the heads-up. We gave 'em whatfor. :o)

Amy said...

I think it's the title - Baby Girl for Sale - that really gets under my skin. I've been in touch with our local FCC group who actually had members go in and drop off letters personally. One family sat down with the writer and asked him "Show me what you find funny in here". He was adopted and I'm assuming that is why he feels he can write such junk.
It voices everything we try to work away from. All the stereotypes - esp "China has given us so many things . . ." Come on.