According to the October, 1987 US News and World Report, one out of every six couples of child bearing age cannot conceive. Even after medical treatment, two out of five still cannot conceive. The problem is that most couples still want to have children, with only 2% really opposed.

To adopt a child is the final choice for these couples. However, supply and demand are vastly different. Generally speaking, newborn infants up to one year olds are most desired, because this way the adopting couple can start from scratch and develop close parent-child relations. Most children of this age come from unwed mothers.

Taking the U.S. for example, abortion and contraception are widespread, and though there are still quite a large number of unwed mothers, there is nevertheless a dearth of infants meeting the conditions of couples wanting to adopt, thus causing many to turn to the Orient.

According to nonofficial statistics, Korean and Indian children are the largest number of adoption cases. Because abortion is widespread in Japan, there is an extremely small number of children up for adoption. In Taiwan, every year about 100 infants are adopted. Most are arranged through the Christian Salvation Service and the Cathwel Service.

Perhaps people are curious, what about children in orphanages? According to statistics of the Ministry of the Interior, at the end of 1988, most of the 3196 children taken in by 39 public and private orphanages were children of single parents consigned for temporary care.

The CSS every year places about 40-60 infants. The Cathwel Service, set up in 1949, is a charitable institution run by the Chinese and American governments and the Catholic church. Every year it places from 30-60 children.

But why are 90% of the infants placed with foreigners?

Sister Wang replies, "The willingness of Chinese to match up is low." They don't come forward when they see the requirements for adoption.

Ts'ai Shu-ming of CSS explains that would be adopting parents must be Christian (Cathwel does not have this condition), less than 40 years old, healthy (except for inability to conceive), not have their own children, and not have any record of divorce or crime. It is also necessary to accept a home interview by the staff and to write a detailed biography (including the reasons why there has been no pregnancy). There must also be three or four friends who will write recommendations, and a legal adoption process must be completed. Chinese families also want the child to be identified as their own, and not discover that he/she has been adopted, which is made problematic by required post-adoption follow-up, including at-home interviews, annual reports, and photos. Therefore most Chinese couples who want to adopt do so privately, and don't go through these channels.

On the other side, Chinese parents like to "look over" the kids. This is difficult for the institutions. Ts'ai argues, "Do you get to see your own child in your stomach and decide if you want it or not?" Many parents even want to have the children's fortunes checked and discover the mother's academic record. Chinese only want healthy, beautiful children. Because of these factors, it's mostly foreigners who meet the conditions.

Of course, there's no lack of foreigners with the above mindset. But these are washed out through selection by local social service offices. What's more, even for those whose data makes it to Taiwan, because applicants are numerous, there is still very careful selection. "We're turning over a life, so we want to choose the best, naturally," says Hsieh Hui-chen, who has been in the field for six years.

But there are still many who meet the conditions. The CSS usually stops taking applications after the waiting list gets to fifty. Reports by social service offices in the U.S. are only valid for two years, just about the time it takes to fill fifty applications. Overseas Chinese couples qualify at a rate of about one to one with Westerners. Couples who apply must have patience--two years is considered fast, most take eight years.

"Therefore, almost every adopting couple loves their child as soon as they receive notification," says Hsieh Hui-chen. Some send videotapes to let the children become familiar with their voices, ask for photos, or even come to Taiwan to understand the environment in which the child was born.

Miss Hsieh recalls that parents who've just adopted children are somewhat still in disbelief. They are afraid the mother will change her mind or they will commit some faux pas when they meet the mother. When they get home, they guard the cradle, checking from time to time, fearing that somehow the child won't be there.

The places where these children stay waiting for adoption are touching.

The infants stay in special rooms, ordinarily with two staff to wash, feed, and clean up after them. There is no time to hold them, "and even if there is time, you don't dare hold them too long or they will get used to it and start crying for it," says one staffer sadly. The children can eat and sleep to their hearts' content, but they don't have mother's hugs, and there's nobody to talk to them. "Chinese say, 'Sitting at seven months, crawling at eight, growing teeth at nine,' but the children here grow up perhaps a month or two slower," says Mother Wang of Cathwel with pain in her heart.

The CSS is somewhat better at using volunteers. A group of foreign wives have formed an association, and every day send two women to help out.

Besides those who want to adopt normal children, some couples specifically ask to adopt a handicapped child. "Usually they are people whose faith is firm and marriage harmonious. They are by no means wealthy, but are confident they can give the child adequate love." Sister Wang tells of one couple with their own handicapped child who adopted a blind Indian child, a deformed Korean child, and, to the disbelief of the staff, a handicapped child from Taiwan. "When they adopt children, there's social welfare so that their burden won't be increased," adds Sister Wang.

Every year adopting families will meet at a specific time to stay in touch and exchange experiences. Some have even come to study Chinese or celebrate Chinese New Year to be closer to the child. They are like any family, and have no special problems. Reports and photos are shown to the original mother so that she isn't kept wondering if she did the right thing. But some people can't help but wonder if there might be cultural difficulties.

According to an 18-year study by Rita Simon of the American University and Howard Altstein of the University of Maryland, children who grow up under parents' of a different race by no means have bad lives, and their feeling of security is no less than that of children of parents of the same race. Simon notes that cross-racial upbringings don't create any special problems; on the contrary, it could raise people specially apt at cross-cultural communication.

If everything goes as Simon hopes, is it possible that this is fate's way of bringing together east and west? Whether it is or not, it is certainly, through the efforts of these institutions and the hand of providence, a way for these infants to find a safe place to call home.

[Picture Caption]

Western parents raising Oriental children don't have the problems you might imagine. (photo courtesy of the Cathwel Service)

At right is a volunteer nurse who helps handle children. The volunteer at left is taking an infant home for the weekend.

Adoption resolves the problems of the natural mother, the parents unable to conceive, and the infant.

Sister Wang goes abroad every year to meet with adopting families and to look in on the children's living situation. (photo courtesy of the Cathwel Service)

At right is a volunteer nurse who helps handle children. The volunteer at left is taking an infant home for the weekend.

Adoption resolves the problems of the natural mother, the parents unable to conceive, and the infant.

Sister Wang goes abroad every year to meet with adopting families and to look in on the children's living situation. （photo courtesy of the Cathwel Service）