Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Baby Abandonements Happening In Other Parts of Korea As Well

I got this from April 9, 2013 issue of the Nocut News in Korea.  The article is in Korean, but I translated for the readers.  The Korean version is at http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/Show.asp?IDX=2457474

It just goes to show that the baby abanonment is not unique to Seoul nor the Baby Box. I have seen many other news articles on how several orphanages have seen a sharp increase in the number of children being admitted to their facilities (they say they were in downward trend until August 2012).  What's amazing is that despite the abandunce of data, there are many that still deny that the abandonment is caused by the Special Adoption Law. Not all parts of the law is bad, but a portion of it needs to be revised.  Here is an article regarding the abandonment in Daejon and Chung Nam Provice areas.

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Recently there has been a sharp increase in the baby abandonment in Daejon City and the Chung Nam Province areas.  In the past these babies would be put up for adoption, but since the enactment of the Special Adoption Law in August 2012, there have been many cases of baby abandonments. 
One of the key aspects of the Special Adoption Law is the requirement that birthmothers register their babies in their family registries.
The purpose of the law was to enhance birthmothers the chance to raise their own children and also to provide a way for adoptees to search for their roots, but the birthmothers are afraid their privacy will be violated because of the registration requirement. 
In essence the Special Adoption Law has backfired.
On April 6 a baby boy who was barely a day old, was discovered in a restroom after he was born in a hospital in Daejon. Fortunately the baby was discovered early and was saved, but the baby who lost his mother cried continuously. The police examined the video images from the CCTV security cameras but could not find the birthmother.
On February 6, there was an incident at a Chung Nam hospital where a teen birthmother deserted her baby in the hospital and left without notice.  The mother of the birthmother was contacted by the hospital, but the baby’s grandmother did not want the baby.  However, she was requested by the police to locate the birthmother.
On February 22, a birthmother in her 20’s was captured by the police and questioned after killing and discarding her newborn baby. 
Incidents like these are adding to the ever increasing number of babies being abandoned.
On April 8, according to the Central Child Protection Agency, in 2011 there were a total of 53 cases of child abandonment recorded in Korea.  But by the third quarter of 2012, the abandonment has shot up to 118 cases.
At the same time the adoption in Korea has dropped sharply as well.
Before the Special Adoption Law was enacted, there were 6 to 7 adoptions among 10 abandoned babies, but now it is only 1 to 2 that get adopted in the areas of Daejon and Chung Nam, clearly showing the sharp decrease in adoption.
Many experts in the child welfare areas are advocating that a revision is needed in the Special Adoption Law. 
A representative in the Daejon branch of the Eastern Welfare Society states, “If we compare the number of adoptions taking place before and after the law, the law has resulted in the significant decrease in adoption by 2/3 (67%), if the birthmothers cannot come to the agencies, the babies will most likely be placed through illegal, black market types of adoption or abandon the babies, or choose other harmful methods to rid of their problems.”
She also stated that, “To stop the increased abandonment of children and to discourage other unfavorable outcomes with the children, the Special Adoption Law must be revised to allow the birthmothers 24 and under to allow their children to be adopted through the adoption agencies.” 
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Additional comments from Steve:

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced yesterday (April 8, 2013) that they will provide up to 700,000 Won (approximately to $615 as of this writing) to all the unwed birthmothers to keep their babies for seven days after the birth.  The amount will depend on the types of care facilities the birthmothers stay.
This is definitely a step in the right direction, and hope that this will help the birthmothers.  I encourage MOHW not to stop there.  They should support the birthmothers even after the seven days, if the birthmothers so choose to keep their babies, by providing similar amount or more to help take care of their babies.
However, I have always maintained that for the majority of birthmothers, the issue is not the cost.  The real issue for them is the pressure and shame they feel from the society that looks down on them.  This is exacerbated by the lack of support or unwillingness to accept the children born out of wedlock by the immediate families.  For these birthmothers no amount of financial aid would help them as they wish to hide from being disgraced. 
More efforts should be made by the Korean government to work on to remove negative stigma against the unwedded birthmothers.  Rather than bashing on adoption, the people opposed to adoption or against the revision of the law should focus more on changing this aspect of the Korean culture and they will go much farther and quicker for the cause of birthmothers.  They should not waste time by speaking against adoption.  Why is it that one has to be killed to make the other survive?  Adoption and the rights of birthmothers need to go hand-in-hand, not against one another.

46 comments:

  1. I am really glad to hear that the MOHW is providing financial assistance in recognition that birth mothers may need help with money for basic necessities and a discreet place to stay while they give consideration to their options for the future. I hope that more financial assistance is made available to birth mothers and families in the near future.

    It seems as though it would be particularly helpful for affordable childcare to be made widely available so that women are able to work to support themselves and their families. I have previously read that childcare in some areas is quite limited and expensive and that some places will not even take the children of single mothers :(

    I agree with you that, as in most countries, there will always be a need for adoption in Korea, but that anything that can be done to reduce the cultural stigma and provide legal protections in terms of employment rights, etc. will go a long way towards giving the women of South Korea a variety of viable options.

    ~ H



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  2. Steve,

    Is there any movement that you know of going on. Still in the dark about the whole process. Please help us get any kind of info

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  3. Is there any news about travel? We have been waiting for nine months...

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    1. Agencies seem reluctant to share news at the moment, but I think that's because (1) they don't really have anything concrete to tell us, and (2) the process seems to keep changing...

      We've waited a year so far since our 'Acceptance to Korea' date and are nowhere near even being submitted for EP at this point.

      I'm sure that Steve will share any news that he is able to glean, but I think we're all in for a long wait full of uncertainty and there's not much we can do about it.

      Hopefully the changes to the process in Korea will result in a fairer and more ethical system for all concerned.

      ~ H



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    2. Lol I wish I was only waiting 9 months. Been waiting 21 months. And still nobody knows a darn thing. This is a joke

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    3. Don't want to minimize the anxieties of all the waiting faimilies. I just think about the lyrics in "It Is Well with My Soul" by Horatio G. Spafford

      "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
      When sorrows like sea billows roll;
      Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
      It is well, it is well, with my soul.
      Refrain:
      It is well, with my soul,
      It is well, it is well, with my soul."

      I know my God is in charge.

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    4. If I have waitet for 21 mounth I could not be human anymore - I feel SO much with you guys who have waitet so long. I do not think that I can wait that long - I have to think about my selv and my health - it is not healty to worries SO much as we have done in the past year (and a lot of years before that) :-)

      It is sad that our children mayby bee homeless, becaurce we can not stand to wait any more.

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    5. My guess is this is not an actual adoptive parent, just someone trying to log in and say something horrible while claiming to be an adoptive parent, in order to make adoptive parents look bad.

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  4. This is so frustrating. I hope the MOHW will investigate how the new law is affecting these children and birth moms. I understand the good intentions of the MOHW in giving these mother's money to keep their baby for 7 days. But doesn't that open the doors to mother's keeping their babies for the money? I just look at our welfare system here in the U.S. and how it's just spiraled out of control because people have abused the system. of course there are people who use it for what it was intented, but there are plenty of bad intentions also.

    “To stop the increased abandonment of children and to discourage other unfavorable outcomes with the children, the Special Adoption Law must be revised to allow the birthmothers 24 and under to allow their children to be adopted through the adoption agencies.” : I think this is a great idea! I also think birthmoms should be given (if they aren't already) the option to meet with the adopting family and also get photos if they would like. I think this will help some of the concerns of illegal adoptions.

    Steve, thanks for your tireless efforts and advocating for the kids and families

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    1. I like this idea of having a more open relationship with the birth mother and family of origin. I am a rare person who has a semi-open adoption agreement with the korean birthmother of my adopted child. At first, I was nervous about the arrangement. The arrangement requests that we send photos and updates for a minimum of 3 years. No personal information is shared, and the agency handles sending the updates to the BM in Korea so that it can not be traced back to our address in the USA.

      Now that I am two years in, I like the idea that the BM is getting these updates. I hope that it brings her a small amount of peace. I also hope that it encourages her to stay connected with the agency in Korea. That way, if my daughter wants to meet her BM in the future, perhaps she will be able to find her and meet her. In my opinion, it leaves more doors open.

      I wonder if an arrangement like this (semi-open) would actually help make adoptions move more quickly. I heard that the BM in may case worked actively with the social worker to try to get my daughter to the USA as soon as possible. The BM actually helped with the match process, which I think is wonderful.

      Just some thoughts.

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    2. This sounds nice. How were you able to set this up?

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    3. From my understanding this is usually at the request of the birth mother at the time of relinquishment.

      I agree that this sort of semi-open adoption arrangement is likely to be of great help in allowing children to have a future relationship with their birth family.

      We recently asked our American agency to let the Korean agency know that we are very willing to maintain the sort of contact outlined above, but we have no way of ensuring that this will be communicated to the birth mother. Perhaps there will be an opportunity when we reach the court process stage, but since everything goes through third parties it is hard to be certain.

      In the absence of a solidified arrangement, it is my understanding that the Korean agencies maintain files that can be viewed by the birth mother at any time (and later by the adoptee). Adoptive families can choose to send photos and updates for this file and sometimes birth mothers will request updates if none have been sent.

      ~ H

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    4. I was the one who posted about having a semi-open Korean adoption.

      The BM did request to review files of adoptive parents. She worked with the social worker in Korea to review files that meet some basic requests (only child, Korean heritage, Christian upbringing). She ranked the families and as soon as the child was 5 months old the agency called us.

      It was very "cloak and dagger" at the beginning :-)

      We were only told that the child we were being referred came with some "strings" that were not typical of a traditional international adoption. We had to agree to the terms of the semi-open adoption before we were given the details of the referral. We, of course, still had the option to decline the referral. We got really nervous, but then happily learned that the child was happy and healthy with no known medical issues.

      We had to sign an additional form that outlined the terms of the semi-open adoption and have it notarized. After that, the process was the same as most other Korean adoptions.

      When the BM gets the updates we send, the agency sends us a notice. We actually send a lot of things now. We send little drawings she makes, outlines of her hands, and small crafts she makes at day care. We are careful to make sure her new name is not on anything and that there are no famous landmarks in the pictures. Otherwise, I try to make it personal for the BM.

      Hope this helps anyone that is considering, or will consider, a semi-open adoption.

      On a side note, I am in the process of a second Korean adoption. We asked if we could have the fact that we would be open to another semi-open adoption included in the homestudy. The agency would not do this, but said they could try to pass that information on to the agency in Korea. We have no idea if this information was shared with our paperwork, or not. In all reality, we assume it was not passed along to the agency in Korea.

      It would be nice if PAPs could include the option of a semi-open in their homestudy paperwork. I think this would be a great move in the right direction for international adoption.

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  5. Just one question. If not the agency or the court find BM under the trial, what will happen then? Do you or someone else know?? Love your blogg!

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    1. It's my understanding that if the birth mother can be found then she will meet with an official from the court to confirm that she wishes the adoption to move forward. She can of course also decide to reclaim her child.

      If the birth mother cannot be found then the agency must provide evidence of their attempts to make contact with her to the courts who will then either request further attempts be made (assuming this is feasible) or make a decision to move forward with the adoption (or not) based on their evaluation of the individual cases.

      I'm not sure what kind of contact information is usually provided but I would imagine that it may be quite difficult to track someone down discreetly if they have changed their phone number and moved from their previous address.

      ~ H

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    2. And what about the 14 days then? If nobody find BM? Will the court finalized without the 14 days??

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    3. From what I've previously read I think that the 14 days applies regardless as it is a standard part of their court procedure.

      I'm sure that someone will correct me if I've misunderstood that.

      ~ H

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  6. I am going crazy of this silent from our agenci, from Korea, from Holt - it is not okay to hold us waiting parent in this nightmare anymore - Why cant we get any kind of information? My work is beginning to ask me when they have to find another worker for me?? And I can NOTHING say to that.

    It is not okay, we are getting sick of worries about when and if our child ever will come home.

    I have a question - what will happend to "my" child if I, as a waiting parent - dont cant stand to wait anymore?

    I think the Korean gouverment is so

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    1. It's hard to wait with so much uncertainty, and I think we all have dark days when we just feel exhausted from the stress and wonder if we were crazy to sign up for this!

      One of the hardest things is trying to explain to other people that no, you really don't have any kind of timeline at this point and no, you really don't have any news. People who are not familiar with adoption just don't have a frame of reference to help them understand.

      If your agency offers counseling services then you may want to consider reaching out to them for some emotional support.

      ~ H

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    2. Our agency, CHSFS, is keeping us in the dark as well. This is extremely frustrating. We get these weekly updates that basically say…There are no updates. I feel like at this point they owe us something, even if it is just speculation at what is going on at this point. To wait and wait with no information is just unfair. I will not give up on our son but I may end up screaming soon! To add to all of this is the stress of the tension in North Korea. This is so scary! And our agency says nothing.

      I feel for you with your work situation. We chose to not tell people at work about our son for that reason exactly! It is hard but I think with so much uncertainty it is the best things to do. Hopefully one day we can share good news with them but it seems so far away.

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    3. I heard the agency asked some families (current cases in court) to write letters and plead with the judges to expedite the process. But I do not know what's the status after the letters were sent to the court.

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  7. This article raises questions I hope you will answer:

    Family Court will ask for criminal record for adoption
    The Family Court will toughen the law for child adoption to make sure that only qualified parents can take custody of children.

    The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae will organize a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday with President Park Geun-hye presiding to deliberate and send the Family Litigation Act to the National Assembly for approval.

    It is to make sure when the court grants an adoption, it takes all of biological- and step- parents’ opinions into account. The Family Court can ask for criminal records and medical history of the step parents.

    Anybody who leaks that information during the adoption trial will be punished by criminal law if the legislation is adopted by the House.

    If the law goes into effect, anyone who tries to change his name will have to submit his criminal records to the court for background check.

    1) Who are the step parents?
    2) Are we all waiting on National Assembly Approval of the law for EP to begin?
    3) Is this for all adoptions or just domestic as it sounds?
    4) When do you believe children will start coming home?

    I do not know what we would do without you. Mountains of thanks to you and your team!


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    1. I think the New Law goes a long way to protect birth parents and children. It promotes the rights of birth mothers', who want to raise their children. It also protects children who cannot be raised by their birth families. For instance, thank goodness new requirements are in place to screen all prospective adoptive families. This was always part of the requirement for international adoptions, but apparently not for domestic adoptive families. It is sad that there is so much "fall out" from a well intended law. For example, the intent of the law was to make information about birth parents easier to get for children, but now many abandoned children will never know their original parent's names, their own birth dates, or where they were born. Now children who cannot be raised by their birth families will either never have a family or are languishing in limbo for years before paperwork is finally worked through and reviewed. I hope all groups continue to push for and consider the rights of these children.

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    2. The screening for international adoptive parents hasn't always been that great in the past either - yet another reason why it really is a good thing that changes are being made.

      ~ H

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  8. Any news on courts. I heard some ppl had court on April 5. Is the process moving yet. Will they still require us to travel with North Korea going crazy

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  9. Steve, Thank you for this information. I am hopeful that both "sides" of the adoption issue can come together to find a solution which will reduce baby abandonments... an outcome neither side could see as good.

    As a PAP who is waiting, I have to take issue with other PAPs/APs who are using this blog post for their own questions. The post is about babies in Korea and the new laws- it is not the time to talk about EP or timelines. Please find a more appropriate venue for asking questions and voicing concerns. It reflects poorly on adoptive parents that most of the comments here are about "our" issues and not the very important issue of baby abandonment.

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    1. Thank you, Zoey, for your comment.

      I agree. The primary issue is about Korean babies, their welfare, and the rights of their families. PAP's are not yet their families, and I don't mean to sound mean, but PAP's are not yet part of the babies' families. ICA PAP's should wait on the sidelines, because this isn't their country, their laws, or their children. Adoption isn't a mechanism so that adults can have children. The children's rights and welfare come first. If PAP's care about these children, they will respect Korea's right to protect their children, the rights of their families, and their country to carry out the laws on their behalf.

      The waiting times of PAP's should not drive Korean laws on child welfare. If the adoption process is too onerous and complicated for some PAP's, perhaps they should rethink how committed they will be to raising children from a country with such different customs and laws.

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  10. Zoey. Sorry but I don't think ppl asking questions reflects poorly on anyone. I understand what your saying but it's in our nature to ask questions especially when so many PAPs/APs are left in the dark. Show a little compassion and respect to these loving ppl

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    1. Talk to your agency. If they don't know anything, what makes you think MPAK will? The me.. Me.. Me attitude on her reflects very poorly on P/AP's. you need to realize those that make laws and influence laws in Korea read this. These kids from Korea are not 'your's'.

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    2. Not to downplay the agencies role, but in some cases because the agencies have a financial tie to the adoption process. There are things that MPAK voice is louder and clearer than the agencies. You'll be surprise to know the positive impact that MPAK has contributed to the wellness of the children and the parents. For that I'm grateful to Steve and his team work.

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    3. That's what I'm talking about

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  11. I think it is sad and strange that Zoey can not understand how hard it is to wait in years, without any information?? It is not our (waiting adoption parent) fault that they from Koreas side let us know about "our" future baby BEFORE it is possible to say when and if they can be ours.

    It is not us who have give up our child, we are so unhappy not to be able to have child our one, but I know that you who are against adoptions do not want to understand have it feels.

    I have no intention of harm or "steal" babys from Korea - I deeply in my heart thougt that the child they have told me is mine - have parents who not cant take care of their child.

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    1. I don't think anyone would say that the waiting is not difficult. But, that is not the focal issue in adoption, nor should it be. The main concern MUST be the welfare of the children, NOT how much anxiety PAP's have to endure. PAP's have more control over how to deal with life's disappointments. PAP's can choose not to adopt if they don't want to. Children do not have that luxury. They rely on adults to make the best decision on their behalf - their futures depend on it. Removing a child permanently from their country, community, culture, language, environment is a big deal and should be. The anxiety of PAP's waiting time shouldn't be a factor in Korea's laws to protect their children.

      I'm glad you have no intention of harming or "stealing" babies from Korea - no one should. Since that is the case, you should allow Korea, Korea's laws, families, and customs do what they believe is best for their children. Korea is ultimately responsible for their children. It is Korea's decision to make, not ICA PAP's decision.

      Sorry to be blunt, but the children come first, not the ICA PAP's.

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  12. I wrote "steal" and "harm" becaurce I feel it is the way some people loos at us - and that make me so sad.

    I also think the children come first, but do you think it is in the childrens interrest that they have to live with their foster parants for years and get close to them, and then been "taken away" from the foster parents to the a.parents? The children will suffer any more, the longer they should stay in Korea, when it IS decided that they are going to bee adoptet anyway - it just a matter of time -it is so sad.

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  13. This article highlights an important point. Since the Special Adoption Law, the requirement to register the child under the birthmother's name has not only increased the abandonment rate but has also decreased the domestic adoption rate. It is unclear whether there are enough statistics to say whether there is a significant increase in the rate of birthmothers harming/killing the babies. Affects on international adoption aside, the law has clearly produced negative affects on domestic adoption and domestic child welfare. What is the Korean government doing to address this? Are any politicians taking interest in this issue? Is there anything we can do from this country to change these laws?

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  14. When people are limited by believing that their thoughts are the only correct ones, there can be little,if any understanding. I particularly liked what Steve said in his recent blog where he thanked everyone for their divergent views and commented on how adoption is a multi-faceted issue. Unfortunately, some responders are not so accepting. Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. While we share different views because our life experiences are so different, none of us would be engaged in this discussion if we were not concerned first and foremost about the children!

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  15. One of the concerns that was raised by many due to the longer waiting time was that the children will be older and this has a detrimental effect for the children to adapt to their new family, language learning and other early childhood development skills (social and psychological). This is a valid concern (as much as the necessity to verify that each child is a true orphan), but are there studies data to support this concern. I think if we can show to the court with concrete data, this could give a solid argument for them to rethink the length of time is taking them to review the cases.

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  16. It seems there is a miscommunication as to the concerns of this group. Though the questions and concerns of the adoptive parents seem to be parent focused, I believe they are based upon genuine concern for the children. I believer both the adoptive parents and the anti-adoption groups share this concern.
    Yes, I do want to know when we will travel, but not because I want my life to be better or my wait to be shorter. I want to know when I can travel for the benefit of the child. I feel the longer the child remains with the foster family, the more difficult their transition into our family. I am not concerned about my well being during this transition. As an adult, I can handle a distraught child. I'm not worried about the chore I have in front of me. I am solely concerned for the child's well being. I believe the increased wait for political wrangling is detrimental to the children because it increases emotional trauma to the child. This trauma will be overcome as adoption is not a cause of long term pathology. However, I believe that trauma would be lessened if the transition were made at a younger age.
    I also believe the parents here consider these children to be part of their families because of the manner in which the children are presented over here. We are given photographs of the children monthly or bimonthly. We are given videos and medical updates. We are instructed to send gifts. We know the foster parents refer to us as American mom and American dad. As such, we love these children and care deeply for their well being. It is not a sense of entitlement or self centeredness that yields these feelings. It is true love for another human being.
    This love and concern should not be discounted as irrelevant and unimportant. Please treat it with respect, not disdain. It is an important piece of the entire adoption process and every bit as valid as the biologic mother's love for their child. (for which we also have great respect).

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    1. Well said. I couldn't have said it any better. I too feel this way

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    2. Very well said. I also want to add that this forum, unlike others, is considered to be very reliable and reputable source. I had a talk with my agency director just yesterday and she mentioned Steve’s name several time. She mentioned how his letter writing campaign was instrumental in the changes that the courts made in the travel requirement. That alone makes me feel that this is a forum that I can come to find out the reliable information. I like many others, want my child home safe and sound and I am concerned with how this wait will affect him and his adjustment. So sorry to those of who say we should go elsewhere with our questions. This is the best source outside of the agencies and I will continue to ask them.

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  17. It almost seems as though a separate register, perhaps maintained by the MOHW, needs to be provided instead of requiring birth mothers to register the child on their family registry (perhaps with a copy of the family registry being kept on file and accessible by the adoptee at 18 years of age). That would seem to me be a workable compromise of ensuring access to records for adoptees without punishing mothers.

    ~ H

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  18. You mention that some of these abandoned babies could fall victim to the black market and other undesirable futures. What other alternatives could happen? Without the mother abiding by the new law, could or would these babies be put up for adoption if the birth mother who abandoned them can't be found or will they spend their lives in the welfare system?

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    1. If they are found, then the city where the child was discovered will put them in different institutions. The current law that was passed last year allows three years for birthmother/father to contact the babies. After the three years are up the birthmother/father looses the parental rights, and the children are allowed to be adopted, mainly domestically. In the old days they were essentially stuck in the facilities until 18. Buth the drawback with this long wait of three years is that most of the children will not be adopted domestically as most parents want their children to be young with no memories from the past.

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    2. Are these children available for international adoption?

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    3. Unfortunately not since the birthmothers have not signed relinquishment papers.

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  19. Article on the "reality" of new law: http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130415000537&ntn=0

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