Hit a Nerve!

I was really shocked earlier this week when I heard about a CBC article on international adoption called "Buying Babies".

You can find the article here. Lots of people have posted their comments below the article. I was really upset that a respected and publicly funded news source like the CBC would portray adoption in this way. Below is the comment I posted;

When I read the title to this article I was taken back. Come on CBC, I thought you were better than that! I have always been a big fan of our publicly funded CBC and have always thought they provided quality journalism where issues are looked at from all possible sides in a very academic, respectful, and dignified way. I am very disappointed and it is unfortunate that because of this article my opinion of CBC has changed.

I hope you stop to think about the damage this type of blatant stereotyping can have on real people’s lives. Running a section on adoption called “Buying Babies” makes adoption sound like a trend, like buying the latest handbag that you just had to have. You have done a disservice to adopted children by publishing this because it creates for the general public a completely inaccurate picture of this aspect of an adopted child’s life story. "Buying Babies" makes it sound as though all international adoptions are trafficking children when the vast majority of people adopting have spent a lot of time and energy finding agencies that are completely legal and ethical. The reality is that orphaned children exist in this world and they should not be viewed as products that have been mass produced to be sold. They are real people with stories and feelings that deserve to become members of loving families. To have the national news suggest to these children that they were “bought” by their parents, like someone “buys” a pair of shoes, is very disheartening.

Adoption is a very complex process and the safety of children’s rights must be protected. For this very reason many adoptions take years, and to ensure the safety of the children there are many checks and balances in place which do have a financial cost. Being a parent is expensive regardless of who you are and how you choose to build your family, biological or otherwise. All children deserve to have loving families and families are created in a variety of ways. Anyone who has spent any time learning about international adoption would have been insulted by the title of this article. It seems silly for us to have to educate a respected news source who should have done their research better before going to print.

I thought CBC was a valuable source of news, not a source of bias and uneducated opinion aimed at groups that represent a minority of the Canadian population. What a huge disappointment!!