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Name: Siti Fatimah S

(133411010)
Class : PBI-4A

International Adoption (Taken from: Raise The Issues: An Integrated Approach to


Critical Thinking Third Edition, Carol Numrich, New York: Pearson Longman, 2010, p. 4344.)
According to UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund), there are currently 143
million orphans in 93 developing nations. About 135,000 children are adopted inter-country
each year. In recent decades, international adoptions have increased dramatically. They nearly
tripled from 1990-2004. China, for example, sent out over 50,000 children in one decade
(1996-2006), largely because of its one-child policy. Yet, this increase in international
adoptions has recently taken a downward turn.
Inter-country adoptions have fallen 10 percent in those nations receiving the most
children: the United States, Spain, France, Italy, and Canada. Many countries are now
reluctant to send children abroad for adoption. There is a concern that these children will
suffer without the knowledge of their indigenous culture. Moreover, there have been recent
charges of corruption in the business of selling babies. Romania and Cambodia have halted
international adoptions for this reason. Guatemala, the third largest source of international
adoptions, has also ended its program, as private lawyers, rather than government agencies,
were controlling adoptions there. Many people had taken to adopting Vietnamese babies, but
in 2008, the Vietnamese ended their child-adoption agreement with the United States because
of apparent baby-selling and Corruption in Vietnam. In one case, a Vietnamese mother felt
forced to sell her baby because she couldnt pay her hospital bills. Weeping mothers have
been pressured to sell their babies by brokers who dodge the law by going directly to villages
in search of babies to sell. Bulgaria will only give up a child for inter-country adoption after
the child has already been rejected by three Bulgarian families. Russia put temporary end to
its international adoption program when it discovered reports that 14 Russian children had
been killed by their foreign adoptive parents since 1990s. American hoping to adopt Chinese
babies have encountered a 60 percent reduction in their rate of success as China has changed
its criteria for adoption: The Chinese now exclude parents who are single, gay, recently
divorced, married less than two years, over 50, overweight, or earning less than $80,000 a
year.
Some say that these new criteria are the result of falling birthrates, higher standards of
living, higher infertility, and growing national pride in the countries that send children out.
Countries such as South Korea, Russia, Kenya, and Brazil now discourage foreign adoptions.
The only country where adoptions are growing is Ethiopia, where one celebrity adopted a
child. However, this celebrity has encourage other Americans to adopt babies in Africa,
making Ethiopia one of the top 10 countries where Americans adopt.
The Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, which the United States joined in
2008, was designed to make international adoptions safer for the child and both the biological
and adoptive parents. More than 70 countries have joined this agreement that attempts to end
the international baby trade by establishing licensing requirements for adoption agencies.
With stricter inter-country regulations, it is inevitable that fewer children will be adopted and
that some children will spend more time in orphanages. This is bringing the orphan problem
full circle and again leaving a gaping hole between the number of children who can be legally
adopted.

1. Identify the context clues used in the article! (Find out difficult vocabularies) Explain
it!
Answer: (The underline words are the difficult vocabularies that their meaning could
be found by using context clues)
a) In recent decades, international adoptions have increased dramatically (line 3).
Remember that an adverb can modify a verb.
Dramatically = become larger in a sudden way.
b) Yet, this increase in international adoptions has recently taken a downward turn
(lines 5-6). The conjunction word yet means something contrast with another.
Compare the underline word with the word before that has a contrast meaning.
Downward = moving into a lower position.
c) There is a concern that these children will suffer without the knowledge of their
indigenous culture (line 10). Find the underline word meaning by recognizing the
whole sentence.
Indigenous = naturally staying in the own country rather than in another
country/place.
d) Romania and Cambodia have halted international adoptions for this reason (lines
11-12). Look at the next sentence to figure out te underline word meaning.
Halted / Halt = stopped.
e) American hoping to adopt Chinese babies have encountered a 60 percent
reduction in their rate of success as China has changed its criteria for adoption:
The Chinese now exclude parents who are single, gay, recently divorced, married
less than two years, over 50, overweight, or earning less than $80,000 a year (lines
22-26). Recognize the sentence before the various mentioned criteria.
Exclude = to prevent something from taking part.
f) With stricter inter-country regulations, it is inevitable that fewer children will be
adopted and that some children will spend more time in orphanages. Study the
explanation phrase after the underline word.
Inevitable = unable to be avoided.
2. Mention the suffixes and prefixes exist in the article! Define and describe!
Answer:
No
.
1.
2.

3.

Prefixes

Meaning

Overweight
= Fat or heavier in
over- + weight
weight.
Infertility =
Have no quality
in- + fertility
of being able to
produce young.
Discourage =
dis- + courage

Suffixes

Meaning

Currently=
current + -ly
Developing=
develop + -ing

At the present
time/ now.
Describes a
country or area of
the world which is
poorer.
Take another
persons child in
the past or as the
expressio of
passive voice or as
past participle.

Less willing to do Adopted =


adopt + -ed
something.

4.

5.
6.
7.

Encourage =
en- + courage

To make
something more
likely to happen.

Adoption =
Adopt + -ion
Downward
down + -ward
Largest =
large + -est
Lawyer =
law + -er

The act of legally


taking a child.
= Moving towards a
lower position.
The superlative
degree of large.
Someone whose
job is to give
advice to people in
a court.
The plural form of
agency.

8.

Agencies =
agency + -s

9.

Vietnamese =
Vietnam + -ese

The geographical
name of people
from Vietnam.

10.

Russian =
Russia + -n

The geographical
name of people
from Russia.

11.

Adoptive =
adopt + -ive

The adjective form


of adopt.

12.

Higher =
high + -er

The comparative
degree form of
high.

13.

Infertility =
fertile + -ity

The quality of
being able to
produce young.

14.

Biological =
biology + -al

Connected with
the natural
processes of living
things.

15.

Orphanage =

A home for

16.

orphan + -age

children whose
parents are dead or
unable to care for
them.

Agreement =
agree + -ment

When people have


the same opinion.

3. Find out the general statements and specific statements in each paragraph! Rewrite it!
Answer:
a) First Paragraph
-General Statements:
In recent decades, international adoptions have increased dramatically.
Yet, this increase in international adoptions has recently taken a downward
turn.
-Specific Statements:
According to UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund), there are
currently 143 million orphans in 93 developing nations.
About 135,000 children are adopted inter-country each year.
They nearly tripled from 1990-2004.
China, for example, sent out over 50,000 children in one decade (19962006), largely because of its one-child policy.
b) Second Paragraph
-General Statements:
Many countries are now reluctant to send children abroad for adoption.
There is a concern that these children will suffer without the knowledge of
their indigenous culture.
Moreover, there have been recent charges of corruption in the business of
selling babies.
-Specific Statements:
Inter-country adoptions have fallen 10 percent in those nations receiving
the most children: the United States, Spain, France, Italy, and Canada.
Romania and Cambodia have halted international adoptions for this
reason.
Guatemala, the third largest source of international adoptions, has also
ended its program, as private lawyers, rather than government agencies,
were controlling adoptions there.

Many people had taken to adopting Vietnamese babies, but in 2008, the
Vietnamese ended their child-adoption agreement with the United States
because of apparent baby-selling and Corruption in Vietnam.
Russia put temporary end to its international adoption program when it
discovered reports that 14 Russian children had been killed by their
foreign adoptive parents since 1990s.
American hoping to adopt Chinese babies have encountered a 60 percent
reduction in their rate of success as China has changed its criteria for
adoption: The Chinese now exclude parents who are single, gay, recently
divorced, married less than two years, over 50, overweight, or earning less
than $80,000 a year.
c) Third Paragraph
-General Statements:
Some say that these new criteria are the result of falling birthrates, higher
standards of living, higher infertility, and growing national pride in the
countries that send children out.
-Specific Statements:
Countries such as South Korea, Russia, Kenya, and Brazil now discourage
foreign adoptions.
The only country where adoptions are growing is Ethiopia, where one
celebrity adopted a child.
However, this celebrity has encourage other Americans to adopt babies in
Africa, making Ethiopia one of the top 10 countries where Americans
adopt.
d) Fourth Paragraph
-General Statements:
The Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, which the United
States joined in 2008, was designed to make international adoptions safer
for the child and both the biological and adoptive parents.
-Specific Statements:
More than 70 countries have joined this agreement that attempts to end the
international baby trade by establishing licensing requirements for
adoption agencies.
4. Make a brief inference from the article!
Answer: From the article, it can be infered that international adoptions are getting
lower or it has decreased because of some reasons. Most of countries in the world had
denied and stopped their children adoption program. However, there are some
countries that agree to continue the children adoption program but in a stricter policy
or rule.

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