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Slide one:
On Sep. 4, the U.S. Department of State announced that China is officially ending its international adoption. According to The State Department, China’s civil affairs ministry has completed processing adoptions that have already received their travel authorizations, but, from now forward, no more cases will be processed unless involving blood relatives within three generations. This news is still developing, and more information regarding how this may or may not impact us will hopefully come soon. This news may bring a wide range of emotions, all of which are valid.
Slide two: Official emails sent to adoption agencies
Notes about the screenshot: This was sent by the Department of State to adoption agencies. The following message was shared by the adoption agencies with families waiting to adopt.
The email:
Source: Holt International (a U.S. adoption agency)
China – Announcement from the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Civil Affairs Regarding Intercountry Adoptions |
September 04, 2024 Dear Adoption Service Providers, Please share the following information with families in the process of adopting from the People’s Republic of China (PRC): Dear families, The Department of State received a notification from the People’s Republic of China(PRC) Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) stating the following: …beginning August 28, 2024, except for foreigners adopting stepchildren and children of collateral relatives within three generations in China, civil affairs departments across China will no longer carry out foreign adoption work. Upon receiving this information via a formal note, we spoke with the MCA on September 2. The MCA verbally stated to U.S. consulate staff in Guangzhou that this announcement applies to all pending adoptions as well as those being considered in the future. The MCA told us they completed processing of all cases with previously issued travel authorizations and will not continue to process cases at any stage, other than the collateral relative exceptions noted above. Our embassy in the PRC will request the information we received verbally in writing so we can be certain we understand PRC policies going forward and share them with you. We know this is a devastating notice to many of you who have been waiting for years to complete an adoption in the PRC. We never wish to be the bearer of bad news, but we are committed to transparency and wanted to share this information with you as we received it. We understand the distress this announcement will cause you and our hearts are with you. After we were notified, we immediately began strategizing internally about our response so we can raise our deep concerns with the Chinese government at senior levels. We will keep you updated on our efforts. If families have specific questions, please address them to your ASP. ASPs, please group questions in emails to the ASP adoption inbox. We will do our best to obtain answers, knowing that working with the PRC MCA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs is challenging. Sincerely, The Office of Children’s Issues Bureau of Consular Affairs Department of State |
Slide three: Context
China has been slowing their rates of international adoption since 2006. With the One-Child Policy in place from 1979-2015, China is facing a population shortage. To combat that shortage, China transitioned to two-child and three-child policies in recent years, resulting in fewer children being placed in orphanages. From 2020-2024, China paused international adoption due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. However, prior to this pause, China’s international adoption rates have been declining and only children with medical needs or disabilities were being adopted internationally.
Sources: “China's Former 1-Child Policy Continues To Haunt Families,” NPR, 2021. “China’s halt of foreign adoptions leaves questions about pending cases,” Associated Press, 2024.
Slide four: A note from Girls Adoption Connect
As this news continues to develop, it’s still unclear on how and if this will affect children who have already been adopted (birth family searches, homeland tours, etc). Girls Adoption Connect is committed to amplifying our voices and advocating for our uncertainties to be answered. This news might bring a wide range of emotions; It certainly did for me when I learned. During this time, I urge us to take time to process this, connect with each other and know that all our feelings are valid.
— Téa Tamburo, Girls Adoption Connect founder