Seeking Real Solutions for Real Problems

January 1, 2004

Ethica has received many comments and questions about our Viet Nam
campaign. Some believe that Ethica shouldn’t be asking questions or
discussing reform at all until the U.S. government releases the names
and identities of all involved to “prove” that wrongdoing has
occurred–many thus support an unhindered continuation of Vietnamese
adoptions. Some believe that the Embassy report proves that adoptions
should be halted immediately, and that Ethica is advocating a
continuation of current practices in Viet Nam despite the need for
reform. It is Ethica’s position that neither of these views accurately
depicts the current situation, or the solution, for Viet Nam.

To be clear, Ethica firmly condemns the illegal and unethical practices
in Vietnam and we support the U.S. government’s investigation into
these practices. Ethica is aware of abuses against Vietnamese parents,
children, and adoptive families — both through Embassy reports and through first hand reports to our organization. It is our firm belief that abuses are occurring in Vietnam and that these practices must stop.

Unfortunately, history has shown us that when a country halts
international adoption, some children suffer and the abuses do not
stop. Instead, they shift and proliferate in other countries. Whether
in Vietnam or other countries, we cannot support a continuation of a
system which perpetuates abuses. Instead, in accordance with Ethica’s
mission, we are advocating for reform–not for a continuation of the
current system or for a sudden closure that will simply cause the situation to shift to other countries.

At the same time, demanding the closure of a country, rather than the
stepped-up enforcement of protections, will merely polarize the debate
into the pro-adoption vs. anti-adoption rhetoric that tends to
accompany unethical adoption practices. Agencies and their supporters
will quickly rise to defend the practice of international adoption, and
in doing so will minimize the profoundly disturbing actions of those
who do not care about ethics. On the opposite side, others will declare
that the only real reform is a complete shutdown. Ethica finds this
polarization destructive and unhelpful. The end result of polarization,
as seen in country after country, is no result at all. Rather, there is
a prolonged tug of war between the status quo and shutdown until the
system finally closes. No reform is achieved, and the same practices
continue in other countries. As the U.S. Embassy report also noted,
even within the current situation in Vietnam some agencies are managing
to do ethical work. This shows that agencies should be able to conform
their practices to higher standards or be removed from the situation.
To make that happen, Ethica believes that we must begin addressing the
middle ground–how to keep adoptions open while making them ethical and
legal. Neither “side” of a polarized debate will fix the abuses or
protect vulnerable children and families.

Ethica would like adoptions to stay open from all countries, including Vietnam, if it is possible to do them ethically and legally in a way that protects children and families. Some
will say that it is easy to pay lip service to saying that adoptions
should be done legally and ethically. So, what does Ethica mean when it
uses these terms? In our view, factors present in a legal and ethical
adoption system include, at a minimum: (1) informed consent free from
solicitation, inducement or coercion; (2) absence of donations or
bribes paid in exchange for a child or child referral; (3) adoption
fees for direct services that are commensurate with the local standard
of living, and (4) absence of disincentives for family preservation or
domestic placement. Sadly, these problems are present in Vietnam
today–and in other countries around the world, including our own.

To be certain, developing such a system will take time and effort.
Those efforts will require communication and dialogue that is not
well-served by polarization. Ethica believes that the collective
adoption community has the knowledge and the ability to perform ethical
and legal adoptions and that significant progress can be made in these
areas–both in Vietnam and around the world. Those who would engage in
the minimization of abuses, and those who who would advocate for a
cessation of adoptions, do not help us get there. The choices are not
simply “keep it open as is” or “shut it all down.” The answers, we
believe, lie in the middle.

Please support Ethica’s campaign to support truly ethical Vietnamese
adoption, and our work in other countries. With your help, we can use
this campaign to achieve lasting reform in Vietnam and around the
world.