Dear Future President,

Over the last decade, the United States has experienced a dramatic decline in foreign adoptions after peaking in the 1990's.  This decline is mainly resulting from rising regulations from foreign countries, like China and Russia, against sending orphans overseas. This is a major problem because as domestic and international adoption rates decrease, the number of orphans increase. 

In fact, China enforced a law which states that Americans are required to have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 40 in order adopt a Chinese baby. In other words, if one is too fat, they are not allowed to adopt a baby from China. Moreover, just recently in October 2015, China amended its one-child policy to allowing couples to have two children because China experienced a major population decrease, CNN explains. With the BMI requirements and this new two-child policy, the United States has faced more of the consequences than China, regarding adoption.

In addition, Russia imposed a ban from allowing American couples to adopt babies, which accounted for a huge factor in the decrease in adoption and ended up further destroying the foster care system and orphanages. According to the New York Times, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, in January 2013, signed this law as a move in retaliation for American criticism of Russian rights abuses. The New York Times states that there are about 650,000 children living with no parental supervision in Russia, meaning there are 650,000 children that could be adopted by one of two million American couples waiting for a baby. This Russian ban is still in effect today, which in turn, punishes not only the waiting infertile couples, but also the innocent Russian babies in need of a family.

Reports from the U.S. Department of State announced that adoptions exploded in the 1990s with about 400,000 adoptions; however, in 2014 there was a massive drop to about 6,000 adoptions. Although the United States adopts more children than any other country, the statistics are exponentially decreasing every year. According to the CEO of the National Council of Adoption, a main factor to this drop was concerns about corruption in international governments, child-trafficking, and baby-selling that have provoked the United States to suspend adoptions from several countries including Vietnam, Nepal, Guatemala, and Cambodia. Also, the State Department applied the Hague Convention, which establishes ethical criteria for Inter-Country adoption.

From Today News, statistics show that there are about two million couples actively trying to adopt a child. In 2014, there were about 400,000 foster care children and approximately 100,000 are waiting to be adopted. However, Today News explains how only 12% of these children end up being adopted because many believe that foster care children are juvenile delinquents since many enter the system because of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment from their biological family. Also, by adopting domestically, couples fear that the child's biological family may "back-out." Therefore, many couples tend to reach out internationally to adopt children. 

In order to initially stop this ongoing decline in adoption, the United States need to make efforts in foreign affairs. The government has to fight China’s BMI requirement and Russia’s adoption ban. Even though many advocates against these unreasonable laws are speaking up, the government is not acting on this drastic event. By not undertaking this challenge against foreign countries regarding adoption, millions of children are left in the hands of the government.

This topic of adoption relates directly to me since I was adopted from China at the age of one. I’ve read about the children in foster care homes and adoption centers, who are yearning for a family to call their own, but are unfortunate to find one. Just because I was fortunate enough to receive a family of my own does not mean every child does as well.

By stopping this rapid decline through restarting inter-country adoption, these children can receive a little piece of the privileged lives we are fortunate to have. However, if adoption rates keep on plummeting, these children are being deprived of a chance at welcoming homes that would love them, care for them, nurture them, and ultimately give them a better life. These limitations from other countries are preventing children from seeking better opportunities and hindering the happiness of infertile couples waiting years to take a child home. As the future president, this enormous plunge in adoption needs to be addressed, for the possible solutions could help, save, and rescue the lives of millions of orphans.

Sincerely,