In case you were wondering what the people in charge are saying about the tighter restrictions, it's for the good of the kids!

Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said the rules were aimed at standardizing protection for orphans and were not expected to impact the number of adoptions.

"Adoption of orphaned children abroad and at home is going on normally," he said.

Very little more at that link, as well as over... more

Here's an odd (and troubling) tale of a special needs child adopted by an American family -- despite being told by the Chinese officials that she was a "bad" baby.

It started when Alynn Baker noticed a child on one of those special needs adoption websites. I think it was one run by her agency, but I don't know. There are a few of them out there.

A cleft palate was a routine... more

There seems to be more emotive language flying around the world of Chinese adoption lately.

Like this Asia Times article on China's Lost Girls:

Whether the new rules for foreign adoptions are truly intended to safeguard the adopted children or, rather, to change what Beijing perceives as the demeaning image of China as America's favorite orphanage, many would-be mothers... more

In the Texas area? Interested in actually talking to officials with the CCAA? Or just anyone who knows stuff about adopting from China?

I've just been forwarded an email about The East Meets West Conference.

It's something that happens twice every year in a different American city each time, when One Of The Big Agencies brings Chinese officials, adoption... more

Xinhua News Agency reports on a new tightening of One-Child Policy enforcement, in the form of a campaign to publicly shame people who pay extra to have more children.

"The public is very much aware that some celebrities simply pay money to have two or more children. This kind of behavior must be stopped," said Zhang Wenbiao, head of the provincial family planning commission, at a press conference.

As public figures, these people should be an example of compliance with the law, instead of circumventing the one-child family policy by simply paying fines, Zhang said.

Zhang... more

There's an interesting discussion going on at Brian Stuy's Research-China.org blog about the fairly recent Beth Russell New York Times piece about the "missing orphans" of China.

Stuy thinks her math is all messed up.

Her essay is filled with intellectual "leaps". One of the most... more

Interesting news out of New York state: the gov't agency over background checks is speeding the process for China adopters.

Weird how all these effects ripple outward from a change made so far away.

For those of you new to the process, this also serves to illustrate the way state and federal regulations relate to Chinese requirements for adoptive parents... more

One of the reasons most folks decide to adopt from China is because there (thanks to the One-Child Policy and a host of other, less noticeable reasons), one doesn't run into any funny business with what the professionals call "termination of parental rights."

Except, well, the Washington Post says it *can* happen.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a 7-year-old girl raised by an American couple since infancy must be returned to her Chinese parents, who say they never intended to give her up for adoption.

Shaoqiang He,... more

China Daily reports on an unusual new angle for domestic adoptions in China.

Picture your S.W.I. being run like American Idol....

A well-educated retired couple in Wuhan want to adopt a daughter.

Nothing wrong with that, except that they want a grown-up and well-educated woman and their criteria are as tough as those, as many people say, for the "Super Girls" competition.

The elderly couple want their adopted daughter to be between 25 and 40, with a college or higher degree, but without living parents. She should be... more

In the news, stories (and a few feisty editorial pieces) about the new adoption regulations continue to pour off the presses (sorry for that mixed metaphor, but it's Monday morning). They're starting to show signs of changing attitudes, or maybe refocused attitudes, like so:

"I call it the single-fat-depressed... more