After allegations of baby selling, fraud and corruption Vietnam has halted all American adoptions. The announcement follows an AP article of an U.S. Embassy report.
According to the report from the
U.S. Embassy hospitals are selling babies when mothers don't have the funds to buy their hospital bills as just one example of the overall corruption with the Vietnamese adoption industry.
"It is tragic for children that the U.S. government has not been able to find ways to work with the Vietnamese government to prevent adoption abuses while at the same time processing legitimate adoptions," said Tom Atwood, president of the Washington-based National Council for Adoption, a research and advocacy organization.
"Many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children will not have families as a result of this failure of leadership."
Just this year there have already been 1,200 adoptions of Vietnamese babies by American parents. Angelina Jolie adopted her son Pax from the country last year.
The cost that Americans are willing to pay could be a large reason for the corruption reported by the Embassy. American adoption agencies pay up to $10,000 per referral to orphanage officials.
As of July 1 no adoption applications will be taken by Vietnam from Americans. All applications prior to that time will have be affected.
In 2003 Vietnam suspended all adoptions with foreign countries over concerns of corruption. In 2005 they resumed U.S. adoptions under a bilateral agreement. That agreement was to be reviewed this year on September 1.
Guatemala has also halted or severely restricted adoptions for Americans because of suspected fraud and other irregularities.
Foreign adoptions with Ethiopia though have increased 71 percent. The cost of an adoption in that nation is about $30,000.
"Ethiopia has become a country where, because of the transparency of the system, many are adopting," said Wallace.
United States parents looking to adopt often seek infants from across their own border. The U.S. system is very expensive and restrictive.
"We started out wanting to adopt domestically, but we found we were the last one on everyone's list, because we have other children," J.B. Sikes, of Anselmo, Neb. said.
His family recently adopted Binyam from Ethiopia.
"It was my desire that my family represent what the Kingdom of God looks like, and that's all different colors," the 39-year-old corn farmer said.
There Will No More Americans Adoptions From Vietnam After July 1
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