“China Ghosts”is an endearing story about the creation of a family. Jeff is a staff writer for the Philadelphia Enquirer who, together with his wife Christine, has endured the stress of adoption, and the peculiar requirements of a China adoption. China’s One Child Policy virtually forces parents to abandon the second and subsequent children. Parents are required to pay a fee if they violate the policy, thus they chose to abandon the children rather than pay the fee.

As Jeff explains, the culture favors boys over girls. If the first child is a boy, a second and subsequent child stands a good chance of being abandoned, particularly if it is a girl. If the first child is a girl, parents can seek permission from the state for a second child.

Another curiosity about Chinese adoptions, parents don’t pick the child they want to adopt. The Chinese adoption agency picks the child and sends the information about the child to the prospective parents.

New regulations went into effect May 1, 2207.

Apparently, because the adoption program is run or supervised by the State, it is billed as reliable and stable. I guess they have eliminated the problem of the biological parent or parents wanting to get the child back years later.

In 2005 there were about 7900 Chinese adoptions by Americans. China is one of our favorite adoption locales. If you are interested, the best recommendation is to go through a reputable agency.