Americans and Their Obsession With Helping Out

Americans are as Americans do. Whenever there is an epidemic that just happens to affect our hearts, we do everything that we can to help. Take China and their One Child Policy for example. There are a surplus of baby girls that China doesn't have room for. So what do we do? We adopt them. Thousands of eligible American couples have been reaching out to China and adopting all of their unwanted girls. We are so helpful aren't we?
Well my personal opinion is that we'd be even more helpful if the requirements weren't so rigorous. Here are some of the guidelines:
"- You must be 30 years of age - No exceptions.
- Only married couples or you can be single, however, no same sex couple can apply.
- You must be in good physical and emotional health and you must be free from any criminal record.
- If you are over 50 years of age you must be willing to accept a child three years of age."
I mean I understand that they have to be careful who they send their children off with, but then again, they didn't want the babies in the first place.
After I found this, I kept looking because one of my high school teachers and her husband adopted a Chinese girl, and I found the topic quite interesting. I Googled how to adopt a Chinese baby girl and this is what I found:

"How to Adopt a Chinese Baby Girl

James Green

updated: January 16, 2011

Over the past 20 years, it has become increasingly common for couples from the United States to adopt babies from China. Due to cultural reasons, the vast majority of children available for adoption in China are baby girls. The rules for adopting a Chinese baby must conform to the regulations outlined in the Hague Convention, and thus any adoption process must conform by such regulations to make the process legal according to international law. Similar to the adoption process of any infant, it can take four to five years to complete all bureaucratic procedures.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. • 1
     Meet the age and marriage requirements set out by the China Center for Adoption Affairs. Both of the parents must be between the ages of 30 and 50 at the time of adoption, and in the case of adopting a child with special needs, between the ages of 30 and 55. Couples must have been married for a minimum of two years, or five years if one of the prospective parents was previously divorced.
   • 2
     Meet the income and health requirements set out by CCAA. Total family assets must amount to at least $80,000, and annual income must equate to $10,000 per family member including the adopted child. With regard to the health of the adopting party, they must have no mental disability. Also, they must not be blind, HIV positive, clinically obese or suffer from any disease that requires long-term treatment.
   • 3
     Meet the eligibility requirements set out by the Department of Homeland Security by filling out form I-800A, which is used to assess if a prospective adoptive parent is capable of providing care for a child. Information regarding criminal history, marital history, current children, and financial status must be provided about you and your spouse. Along with proof of identity and residency, a processing fee is required which amounted to $720 as of 2010.
   • 4
     Use the services of an accredited adoption service provider, which will not only be familiar with the Chinese adoption process but will abide by the legal conditions set forth by the Hague Convention. The adoption agency will take care of all the bureaucratic paperwork with the CCAA, who will in turn decide if you are eligible to adopt. A list of accredited adoption service providers may be found on the CCAA website.
   • 5
     Follow-up with the application during the referral phase. The CCAA, once approving your application, will find a prospective match for your family, and will provide you with you a letter of introduction about the child including health records. Within 45 days of the match, you may ask additional questions about the child and decide if you are able to meet the child's specific needs.
   • 6
     Fill out Form I-800, available from the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services to obtain provisional approval to adopt a child. The application will be passed on the the nearest U.S embassy or consulate in China who will assess if there are any reasons why a visa should be denied to the infant. Upon approval, the consulate will send the CCAA an approval notice, who will in turn stamp and forward this information to the adoptive family.
   • 7
     At least one parent must travel to China to take custody of the child and her documents. A new birth certificate and Chinese passport will be required from the Public Security Bureau. A U.S immigrant visa is available from the nearest U.S. consulate or embassy. The immigration process for the child may be finalized when the baby is on U.S. soil."
     
     

     

     
     Can you say extremely rigorous! All for the joy of one cute, little face...