International adoption has opened doors to a better life for many abandoned Chinese babies
　　
　　On December 30, 2005, Jeannie Butler and her two daughters landed in China yet again. It was her 20th trip and she came loaded with boxes of clothing, food and toys meant for some of China’s orphans. Several big boxes had already been dispatched before she boarded the plane. Butler has been doing this for the last 10 years.
　　To those intrigued by her enthusiasm and wondering “why China,” she replies with a smile, “My second daughter is from China, and we want to do something for those still left in the orphanages.”
　　The Butlers have one biological daughter, Heidi, and are unable to have more children. They were told by adoption agencies in the United States that it would take seven years to adopt because they already had a child and preference would be given to those couples with no children. Also in the United States, a birth mother has approximately six months to change her mind about giving up her child. “We did not want to take a chance on that happening to our family,” said Jeannie Butler.
　　The couple decided to look outside the United States--first Colombia, and then Russia and Viet Nam. But they ran into problems with the adoption process. Someone suggested China, which opened its door to international adoption in 1992. The couple were thrilled that they were able to adopt then 7-month-old Haley in just six months. They were pleased to find that the process of international adoption in China, although in the beginning stages, is strict, standardized and efficient.
　　September 21, 1995, marked the beginning of a new life for little Haley, once an orphan in central China’s Anhui Province. The day is celebrated as Haley’s second birthday every year. Currently, Haley, 10, is in fifth grade and all her family is proud that she is a straight A student at school. She even writes for the local newspaper each week and has been doing so since kindergarten. In her spare time, Haley likes to play the fiddle, write, sing and dance, and is a voracious reader. Haley loves her parents and big sister. “I could not imagine what my life would be if I had no mom and dad,” she said.
　　“Haley most definitely does not suffer from an identity crisis, she knows who she is and what she wants to be. She would like to know her birth parents and if she has any brothers or sisters,” said her mother. “She tells people she is a banana, yellow on the outside and white on the inside.”
　　Chinese natives find it strange that this very Chinese-looking girl cannot speak Chinese. Haley has won the Tennessee Our Little Miss contest and her sister Heidi is reining Miss Music City.
　　“I want all readers to know that all the beautiful Chinese babies that have been adopted to the Untied States are all loved so much by their families. We are all so thankful to have them in our families,” Jeannie Butler told Beijing Review.
　　
　　Heritage gap
　　
　　HAPPY HOME: Parents proudly take their newly adopted Chinese babies for a walk in Beijing
　　In the days leading up to the Chinese Spring Festival, which usually falls in late January or early February, Wang Xiaoning’s E-commerce website is flooded with orders from all over the United States, mainly for Spring Festival scrolls and Chinese lanterns. She said 60 percent of her customers are families with children adopted from China and the number continues to grow.
　　In 1992, just 206 U.S. families adopted children from China. That figure now stands at 7,906 at the end of 2005, according to statistics provided by U.S. Department of State. Since 2000, families from the United States rank first among all adoption cases handled by the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA).
　　There is an organization in the United States called Families with Children from China (FCC), whose goal is to actively integrate the children’s Chinese culture into their new families so that they grow up closely acquainted with, and proud of, their Chinese heritage. Nie Lili, who established Chinese Children Adoption International in the United States, said, “It is very touching to see American parents, many of whom are in their 30s or 40s, trying hard to learn Chinese--just the very basic pinyin and counting. They not only send their children to acquaint them with their Chinese heritage, but also try to learn as much as they can.” Children adopted from China not only receive gifts on Christmas Day but also get money during the Spring Festival, just like children in China. Nie added that the majority of American families that have adopted children from China have become China’s close friends.
　　Wang Xin, a journalist with Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, reported that in 2001, when China applied to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), many American families with children adopted from China wrote to U.S. senators supporting China’s bid.
　　Even before the Butler family adopted Haley, they started the FCC Nashville, Tennessee, chapter in 1995 with seven families. Now they have more than 170 families. The FCC holds classes to help parents and children understand the difficulties of raising a child of a different race. Jeannie Butler has also started a non-profit organization called China Missions to raise money to help children living in China’s orphanages. She travels to China twice or thrice a year, bringing items donated by U.S. citizens. Her organization also pays for education and cleft lip surgery for many children.
　　Her efforts are typical of many American families with children adopted from China. For example, Jenny Bowen and her husband Richard Bowen started the Half the Sky Foundation in 1998 to raise funds for all orphans in China, along with four other couples.
　　Late entrant
　　
　　Inter-country adoption has a history of more than 40 years in the world, but China only started it in 1992. In 1996, the China Center for Adoption Affairs was set up as a non-profit organ to facilitate inter-country adoption and currently cooperates with 16 countries worldwide, namely, the United States, Britain, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. This was of great significance for a country long associated with a closed view on adoption.
　　January 1, 2006, China formally joined the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Inter-country Adoption and became its 67th member nation. A total of 157 governments and government authorized adoption agencies have established cooperation ties with CCAA.
　　Lu Ying, CCAA Director, said that more attention should be paid to the needs of abandoned children, which is essential to maintaining equality and building a harmonious society. However, CCAA strongly opposes any child trafficking in the name of adoption and says those found guilty of such practices will face severe punishment.
　　CCAA operations are guided by the Implementation Measures on the Adoption of Children by Foreigners promulgated on September 13, 1993, and the China Adoption Law, which took effect since April 1, 1992. In 10 years, CCAA has established comprehensive adoption measures and procedures in line with international standard and practices. In 2002, in a meeting with former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, U.S. Congresswoman Anne Northup said the Chinese adoption system was a model one among all nations and suggested that both sides strengthen their cooperation in that regard.
　　According to CCAA statistics, about 90 percent of the adopted children are baby girls. Outdated preferences for male children are behind the abandoning of baby girls in the countryside.
　　Fan Ying with U.S. Phelex Foundation said, “Personally, I think the Chinese Government has adopted a more pragmatic stance in dealing with abandoned children. Foreigners adopting Chinese children help to relieve part of the financial pressure on local governments and also help the development of an abandoned child by providing her with a family.”
　　As Jeannie Butler said, the adopted child brings much joy and happiness to the adoptive family. Currently, the Butler family is waiting for CCAA referral to adopt another baby girl from China.
　　CCAA officials also travel to major adoptive destinations every year and meet the adoptive families. Lu Ying stated in the 2006 New Year greetings that CCAA will adhere to the principle of “everything for the children,” and abide by the guidelines of the Hague Convention.
　　

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