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I have heard on the news that since the Sept 11 terrorits bombings there has been an increase in people having their own children. The statistics I have heard are that International adoptions are down 30% since Sept 11. People are becoming more family orientated--wanting to have their own children-- and more fearful of travel--which is required for most international adoptions. Any one have any additional info/comments on this subject?? Any thoughts on how this will effect the current 11 - 13 month referral waiting period.

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Originally Posted By Sharon

Initial inquiries to agencies do appear to be down as a result of September 11. When people are not yet fully committed to adoption as a way of forming their families, any new developments can cause them to put off thinking about it a while longer. So if a family is still deciding whether to consider international adoption, events such as the stock market tumble after September 11 or fears about flying and staying in a foreign country can tip the balance.

However, once a family is involved in the international adoption process, September 11 doesn't seem to be mattering that much; there are few people who are bailing out. And once a person or couple has gotten a referral, that person or couple will almost always move heaven and earth to bring the child home. Families were actually worried when airports were closed immediately after September 11 because they WANTED to travel to be united with their children.

Overall, 2001 has not been a good year for international adoption, but terrorism hasn't been the primary reason. This has been a year in which Romania and Moldova both closed, for example; Romania has been one of the top ten countries from which Americans adopted in the past. Although Cambodia reopened after a moratorium, both Cambodia and Vietnam have experienced slowdowns because of INS concerns about baby-buying and fraud. Guatemala has also slowed down a bit. Many families were concerned when China announced new policies with regard to parental age; still more have been concerned, given the new policies that will substantially reduce adoptions by singles and, possibly, other adoptions.

Personally, I don't think that September 11 will have any effect on China's wait times. The new quotas on agencies and on singles will, and that is one reason that China put them in place. China wants to bring down the wait time, and also wants to encourage adoption by Chinese citizens, rather than to rely on overseas families to care for orphans and abandoned children.

My sense is that families are "quota shopping" at this time. Singles, in particular, seem to want to continue adopting from China, and are seeking agencies that are still accepting unmarried applicants. Some, finding it difficult to link up with an agency, will turn to other countries; most will NOT stop planning to adopt.

As far as people preferring to have biological children -- and please don't say "their own" children as adopted children ARE our own -- most people choosing to adopt do so because they either cannot conceive for one reason or another or because they do not want to conceive without being married. Yes, there are families who choose to adopt even though they are fertile, and they are wonderful and to be encouraged; however, if you check around, I think you will find that the bulk of adoptive families either have suffered through infertility or reached the decision to have a child/another child when unable to do so because of age.