In Which I React...

...to yesterday's news from the CCAA. I was too happy about finishing my paper to let it get to me at the time, but I do have some thoughts on the situation.

First of all, I think we have the agencies to blame. China's process was so predictable that many agencies jumped on the gravy train. I know my agency has significantly increased the number of dossiers sent to China since 2004. When I attended their informational seminar last fall, the speaker said that they'd done 200 China adoptions that year, and expected to double that in the coming year. Their webite now states that they currently have over 900 families in process with China. Nine hundred!!! I don't have anything against my agency. They have served me well so far, but I think those numbers speak for themselves.

I think what many of us thought was due to inefficiency or scandal, was in fact, simply an over abundance of parent dossiers. China may have many more children in need of families, but the truth is that they adopt out less than 15,000 through IA each year. What ever made our agencies think that they could make China increase their soft quota by submitting more dossiers than ever before?

So, now we have a new set of requirements for the second half of 2007. The one that hits closest to home for me, of course, is their decision to only allow married couples to adopt. While I do believe that a two-parent family is the ideal situation for children, and it's what I hope I can offer my daughter someday, I don't think that all married couples offer children the best home compared to all single parents. As a single woman, I have a very high level of education, job security, home ownership, growing income, and my net worth far exceeds the CCAA's new requirement. And that's just the stuff that can be quantified!

In my opinion, the CCAA should have instituted a quota that would have limited the number of dossiers - period. Eliminating singles when we only make up 8% of the total number of dossiers just seems petty.

With all that said, I am grateful that I have my LID and that these new requirements seemingly will not negatively impact this adoption. I am saddened that adopting again from China isn't a possibility if I remain single.