#3627: the ethics of adoption (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: ali grrl <legb_a@hotmail.com>

I am currently working as a researcher for a professor at Concordia 
University (Montreal) who is studying international adoption practices in 
Haiti.  I thought that a good place for this anthropologist to start would 
be in Haiti itself, with research into kinship patterns found in rural Haiti 
and with family values and culturally specific ideas about adoption in 
Haitian society in general (both urban and diasporic).  I was startled at 
how little research on these topics I was able to find and I am wondering if 
I am missing some avenue of inquiry.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to 
texts or even organisations which could facilitate this work?

As a lowely research assistant, I am myself wondering about the ethics of 
international adoption in Haiti.  In Quebec large numbers of Haitian 
children are being adopted every year to mostly white (although not 
exclusively) families who do not necessarily want these children to maintain 
any cultural links with Haiti.  I would greatly appreciate list member's 
opinions on this topic.  Is the practice of international adoption of 
Haitian children good, bad, inevitable?  Does it raise any ethical concerns? 
  Please let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Alex

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