Rather than come down either in support of or opposition to Torry Hansen and her response to her would-be-adopted son Artyom Savelyev, I think we all need to heed this case as an example of something wrong in the field of adoption. Artyom isn't the first child to show signs of abuse, inferior health, problems with bonding, and adjustment difficulties. Nor are the Hansens the first adoptive parents to feel misled, misinformed, unprepared, and abandoned post-placement.
This coming Monday, April 19th at 9:00 AM, I'll be a guest on Mary Beth Wells' radio program Journey to Motherhood. I plan to leverage the Savelyev/Hansen case to raise awareness of the actual scope of the problem, what is and isn't being done to improve the process, and give some direction on how we (collectively) can work for positive change in the adoption process.
Some of the issues I hope to cover (time permitting) are:
1. Inadequate preparation of adoptive parents regarding what to expect from the child and what to anticipate in themselves.
2. Insufficient post-adoption support for adoptive families. Especially once an adoption has been finalized and the child and parents are legally a family, they are technically no longer on anyone's radar. Some adoptive families need more support than they find available to them.
3. The widely accepted expectation that children adopted internationally may/will be malnourished, have suffered physical and emotional abuse, developmentally delayed (due to environment and nutrition, not congenital delays), etc.
4. Sadly, none of the above is specific to international adoption.
5. What is at the root, and what can we do?
The interview will air Monday, April 19 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM EDT on the TogiNet Radio network. Visit the Adoption - Journey to Motherhood website to listen or call in live to participate in the discussion at 877-864-4869.
Click here to purchase Sally's adoption book, What I Want My Adopted Child to Know: An Adoptive Parent's Perspective.
Sally Bacchetta
The Adoptive Parent
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3 comments:
I agree with you. There is insufficient - although I would say non-existent - post adoption support. Our agency didn't give us any information. I've looked, and there is nothing in our area.
I remember when we got our first adoption paperwork from our agency some of the uncomfortable things we had to answer were about what we were "willing to accept" in terms of race, health, special needs, etc. I read on msnbc.com that the adoptive mother mentioned that she felt she was mislead, that "information about his behavioral problems was withheld from her".
I think this child was one with special needs. I wonder what she answered when presented with the same questions we faced regarding accepting a child with special needs. If she said she wasn't willing to accept a special needs child, did the adoption officials respect her wishes? Not everyone is prepared to take care of a special needs child, but some people are, and maybe that's why they ask that question.
This is a very delicate subject and talking about this little detail can make anyone uncomfortable, but I think it is something important to consider.
Agree, these points need raising, also the huge profits being made by the adoption industry.
The sadly neglected are the mothers of adoptees, the ones who relinquish and receive no support for their trauma.Adoption needs to shift on it's axis and become about finding suitable adopters for children who really can't be supported by their parents.We don't do nearly enough to prevent adoption happening becuase there is a huge insatiable industry to feed.
Sally, I just heard your interview! Wonderful! And you mentioned me... Haha. Congratulations! I loved the show and enjoyed the interview, although I thought it was rather short. There's sooooooooo much more you need to say. You need to come back!
Again, congratulations!
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