[ChristyR2006]

My husband and I are looking into adopting a child Internationally, we do not have a lot of money so we are looking into China's Special needs program, because they wave a lot of the fees if you adopt a child with special needs.
After looking into this program I was appalled with what the Chinese considers "special needs":
* Cleft Palate/Lip
* Club feet
* Missing fingers/toes/ears
* Cross eyed
* Birthmarks
* Extra fingers/toes

I asked one of the consultants why these were considered special needs and she said since China only allows each couple to have 1 child, they want the child to be perfect. And they do not always have the money to fix the defects/abnormalities themselves so they give the child up in order to be allowed to try again.
She went on to tell me it is illegal for the doctor to reveal the sex of the baby to the couple, because they also all want boys, and therefore would terminate the pregnancy just because it is a girl. But if there is any other medical abnormality, what we would consider special needs in America (such as Downs Syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc), they can tell the couple so that they can terminate the pregnancy and start again.
I cannot believe they would give up a child for having birthmarks!!
I am just so shocked that the so called special needs children are perfectly healthy, normal children, with very minor defects that really only effect the way they look and most can be corrected very easily! About the most serious on the list is the cleft palate/lip because that can cause feeding difficulties.

I feel guilty now, because I almost passed on the Special Needs program because I was not sure if I would be able to take care of a child with what I would consider special needs. Knowing what I know now, what they consider as special needs, I think this is the PERFECT program for us. And it will be easier on our wallet as well. God sure does work in mysterious ways sometimes.


I do have one question however, does anyone know if they would be willing to wave the age 30 rule for a special needs child? They wave a lot of the fees so I was hoping they would wave this as well. When we are ready to adopt my hubby will be 30, but I will only be 28.
If they do not wave it then maybe I should just look at it as a sign from God that we need to wait 4 years instead of 2. But waiting 2 years seems too long for me, so 4 sounds like 40 to me lol.