Haiti: To adopt or not to adopt?

In the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Haiti several North American and European counties have expedited the adoption process of Haitian orphans. Two dozen Haitian children arrived in Ottawa and 32 arrived in Denver yesterday as part of “fast-track adoptions” in Canada and the U.S., respectively. Politicians such as 34 U.S. senators advocated for making adoptions easier of the scores of Haitian orphans left without guardians due to the tremors.

There is anxiety among some, however, that children could be mistreated by changing the adoption process. UNICEF officials warned that child traffickers could easily exploit “the chaos that follows a natural disaster.” Save the Children underlined how "extreme caution must be used and time taken to carefully verify the situation of children" before they’re put up for adoption. Dr. Jane Aronson- founder of the Worldwide Orphans Foundation- gave her advice to the New York Times’ Motherlode blog:

(…) her message to those who want to adopt from Haiti is don’t. At least not right now…

“Adoption is not the way to solve absolutely massive, tragic issues of vulnerable children,” she says. “An earthquake is a traumatizing event. The best thing for these children is to keep them in their communities, with neighbors and relatives, and with food and shelter and safety.”

The issue of Haitian adoptions has become a sensitive topic that will hopefully not turn into a widespread dilemma for some of Haiti’s most vulnerable children:

Online Sources- YouTube, CBC, 9news.com, New Zealand Herald, Motherlode, CNS