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The Ideal Family
Changes in China Adoptions
By Sue Marquette Poremba
As of May 1, 2007, adopting a child from China might be a little more difficult. In December 2006, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), the agency through which China adoptions are facilitated, released a list of new requirements for prospective parents. The changes include specific requirements for marital and financial status, among others.
Representatives from adoption agencies in the United States can't say for sure why China has decided to implement these new requirements – as one representative says, it is their country and they can make the rules – the speculation is the popularity of China as an adoption destination is leading to fewer children who are available for adoption. The CCAA currently works with 16 countries, and applicants are increasing. Molly Rochon, China program manager at Children's Home Society and Family Services, says the wait for a child in China now takes approximately 17 months.
Essentially, she says, China is now defining what they see as an "ideal" family situation: two parents who are in excellent health and financially secure.
- Prospective parents must be between the ages of 30 and 50 (for a special needs child, the age bumps up to 55) when they submit their paperwork.
- Prospective parents are to be married at least two years if it is a first marriage and a minimum of five years if it is a second marriage. If one or both of the prospective parents have been divorced two or more times, they are ineligible. Married couples must consist of a man and a woman. While the regulations don't state it specifically, agencies interpret the new regulations will prevent single adults from adopting in China.
- The net worth of the family is now to be more than $80,000.
- Prospective parents must be in good health. Rochon says that good health requirements are not necessarily new, but they are now in writing. Good health means no serious chronic illnesses, no lupus and cancer free for at least 10 years.