China Ends One-Child Policy
Lots of little Babies
I have an emotional connection with China, that has further expanded upon hearing the news about the end of the 36 year-long 'One-Child Policy'. The policy was put into place, the year I was born and has effected families worldwide; those in China and those waiting for children abroad.
While families waiting abroad for children saw the original policy as a gain, it has been an extreme loss for Chinese families and they are now feeling the social impact of an acutely complex 'answer' to overpopulation. They have dealt with an increased rate of abortion, many of which have been carried out in secret or worse, a vastly uneven population ratio of boys to girls, poor prenatal care (leading to unhealthy babies) due to fear of government discovering pregnancy, an increase in demands for orphanages, pressure on the only child in the family to succeed in school and life as well as to take care of aging parents...and the emotional strain on mother and her newborn baby of the worlds most unnatural separation.
Originally my thoughts were purely selfish,
"What does this mean for my family? Will we be bumped another few years of our promised wait time? Will we be contacted by our social worker whose phones are likely ringing off the hook, to be told that our file will be removed completely?"
We are coming into our fourth year of five...of waiting.
Then I received an email from an adoptive mother with this article and it reminded me of how adoptive families and birth mothers from the past 36 years are going to struggle with this 'joyous' news.