Prinka Kaur

Mrs. Greene
Capstone- 7
Source Analysis 1
Source Number: 1
MLA Citation:
Bledsoe, Julia M., and Brian D. Johnston. "Preparing families for international adoption."
PEDIATRICS IN REVIEW. 25.7 (2004): 241-249.
Source Validation: This article is written by two doctors with MD degrees and they
utilize multiple trustworthy sources referenced in this article published in Pediatrics in
Review.
How did you find this source?: I looked up International Adoption Process in Google
Scholar.
Intended audience: Pediatric Clinicians who help prepare families for international
adoption and other readers of Pediatrics in Review
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: One of my subtopics is the
emotional aspects of international adoption. This includes the emotional effects on
children and on the parents from transportation to adjustment and this article really
discusses how doctors can help children and parents adjust to these changes. Additionally,
the background of these children can be rather rough and changing the environment can
lead to negative effects on the children physically and mentally that need to be addressed
quickly.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
Families adopt from abroad for many reasons. Some are compelled by the plight
of orphans in particular countries. Others may have been discouraged from
domestic adoption due to nontraditional family configurations, single parenthood,
or older parental age. Some families believe that foreign children are more readily
available; more likely to be of a specific gender, age, or race; and less likely to
engender later legal complications than children adopted domestically.
New experiences and opportunities easily overwhelm children adopted from
stimulus-poor environments. Gradual introduction of the new environment with
limited stimulation is a more successful approach. Children from institutions may
be very resistant to sleeping alone or in a western-style bed and although some
adopted children exhibit serious disorders in attachment, most develop secure
relationships with their adoptive families over time, a process that cannot be
rushed. However, until such attachment develops, some children will be
indiscriminately friendly with adults, a condition that may pose a safety hazard.
Many were relinquished or removed from parental care for reasons of abuse,
deprivation, maternal mental illness or substance abuse, or a disabling medical
condition in the child. In both China and Russia, most children were

institutionalized prior to adoption and were toddlers, or older, by the time they
arrived in the United States. Institutionalized children seldom receive optimal
nutrition, stimulation, or health care, and group living itself increases the risks of
infectious disease, abuse, and neglect. As a result, the medical complexity of the
needs of international adoptees has increased while the general health of these
children has deteriorated.
Source Analysis 2
Source Number: 2
MLA Citation:
Van Londen, W. Monique, Femmie Juffer, and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn. "Attachment,
cognitive, and motor development in adopted children: Short-term outcomes after
international adoption." Journal of Pediatric Psychology32.10 (2007): 1249-1258.
Source Validation: I found this source to be reliable because it was on a reputed site with
multiple articles about international and domestic adoption and the four authors had
PHD degrees and worked in fields to do with child and family studies.
How did you find this source?: I used Google Scholar and found it on Oxford JournalsPediatric Psychology.
Intended audience: Adults looking to adopt children internationally; Professionals
working in the field of child and family research
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: This source is about infant
attachment after international adoption and helped me understand the emotional effects of
it on adopted infants. It helped secure my stance on international adoption in that it
typically doesnt negatively impact the children- even if they are adopted at an older age.
Additionally, it speaks about residence in a foster family before adoption, which is a
slightly new topic which I would like to mention in my paper of the emotional aspects of
international adoption.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
Disorganized attachment is characterized as the absence or breakdown of an
attachment strategy. Faced with stress, disorganized infants may react with
undirected or misdirected movements, freezing or stilling behaviors, and
expressions of fear. Disorganized attachment in early childhood predicts
emotional dysregulation, externalizing problems, lower cognitive functioning in
middle childhood.
The majority of internationally adopted children form secure attachment
relationships and function at normative developmental levels shortly after
adoption. Residence in a foster family before adoption may partly prevent
developmental delays.
Adopted childrens MDI and PDI did not deviate from normative scores. Also,
their secureinsecure attachment distribution was comparable with that of

normative groups. However, more adoptees were disorganized attached (36 vs.
15% in normative groups). Temporary residence in a foster home in the country of
origin before adoption was related to higher MDI and PDI, whereas disorganized
attachment in the adoptive family was related to lower MDI and PDI scores.
Source Analysis 3
Source Number: 3
MLA Citation:
Bartholet, Elizabeth. "International Adoption: Current Status and Future Prospects." The
Future of Children 3.1 (1993): 89-103. Web.
Source Validation: This excerpt is part of the academic journal called The Future of
Children which is written by Elizabeth Barotholet, the Morris Wasserstein Public
Interest Professor of Law at Harvard and Faculty Director of the Child Advocacy
Program.
How did you find this source?: I looked up International Adoption Process in Google
Scholar.
Intended audience: Critics and supporters in the controversial topic of international
adoption and other readers of The Future of Children
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: One of my subtopics is the debate
over whether or not the benefits of international adoption outweigh the consequences and
this source is clearly directed towards critics and points out how international adoption
can help rescue children from potentially hostile situations in their hometowns. These
children- even though they may just be one to two years old- can often be emotionally
insecure and changing environments helps them develop feelings of comfort and
attachment. The author also dispels some myths about international adoption like the
potential of abuse and the loss of roots and heritage. Additionally, the article discusses the
laws and policies that are currently in place and the changes that should be made to these
policies. She concludes that the benefits of adoption outweigh the risks as many of the
children are unable to thrive in their home countries without a family.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
The world should take seriously the sentiments enunciated in international
human rights documents that children are entitled to a loving, nurturing
environment, and that their best interests should be the guiding principle in the
structuring of international adoption.
International adoption represents an extraordinarily positive option for the
homeless children of the world, compared to all other realistic options. Most of
these children will not be adopted otherwise. They will continue to live in
adequate institutions or on the streets. Foster care is available only to a limited
degree and sometimes results in little more than indentured servant servitude.

 The nations of the world should move beyond political hostilities and symbolic
apps to focus on the real needs of children. If they did, they would accept
international adoption as a good solution for at least some portion of the worlds
homeless children and could be got begin to restructure their laws and policies so
as to facilitate rather than impede such adoption.
Source Analysis 4
Source Number: 4
MLA Citation:
Van Londen, W. Monique, Femmie Juffer, and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn. "Attachment,
cognitive, and motor development in adopted children: Short-term outcomes after
international adoption." Journal of Pediatric Psychology32.10 (2007): 1249-1258.
Source Validation: This article is written by three professors with PhD degrees and they
work at institutions like Utrecht University and Leiden University in the Netherlands in
the field of psychology.
How did you find this source?: I looked up International Adoption Emotional Effects
in Google Scholar.
Intended audience: Students and researchers studying the mental effects of adoption and
the readers/ members of the Society of Pediatric Psychology.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: One of my subtopics is the
emotional aspects and effects of international adoption. This source discusses multiple
studies that were conducted to assess the behavioral and mental effects of international
adoption on children. Although multiple assessments were discussed and many statistics
were given, the main conclusion was that most adopted children did not have attachment
problems with the adoptive mothers and international adoption did not really hinder
mental development as many critics suggested. Additionally, the study also concluded
that the previous conditions that children- especially ones adopted at older ages- were in
affected their mental health the most.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
The majority of internationally adopted children form secure attachment
relationships and function at normative developmental levels shortly after
adoption. Residence in a foster family before adoption may partly prevent
developmental delays.
We found that international adoptees placed before their first birthday were not
at risk as far as infant attachment security is concerned (B vs. non-B), but they
were more often disorganized than normative children. Disorganized attachment
involves higher risks of behavior and cognitive problems. However, 64% of the
adoptees did not develop disorganized attachment.
Our findings suggest that attachment and developmental progress in adopted
children are interdependent, at least in infancy. In the same vein, a study on

nonadopted children (Van Bakel & Riksen-Walraven, 2002) found comparable

concurrent relations between attachment security and mental development
assessed with the Bayley Scales. An important premise of the organizational
perspective is that central aspects of individual functioning originate in the
organization of early primary relationships (Sroufe et al., 2005). If the
organization of early relationships fails or is compromised as is the case in
orphanages, childrens social and cognitive development may be negatively
affected.
Source Analysis 5
Source Number: 5
MLA Citation:
McMillan, Mary Ann Candelario. "International Adoption: A Step Towards a Uniform
Process." Pace Int'l L. Rev. 5 (1993): 137.
Source Validation: This article is written by an attorney- and previous professor at Pace
University of Law and she references many trustworthy sources to support this article
published in Pace International Law Review.
How did you find this source?: I found this source by looking up International
Adoption Process in Google Scholar.
Intended audience: The article was directed towards those studying international
adoption or those ready to consider adoption overseas.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: My second subtopic is about
technical aspects of international adoption and while this article covers much further
beyond that as well, it has many aspects pertaining to this particular subtopic. This source
discusses the technical process of international adoption- including laws and quotas
which make this process more difficult than domestic adoption. It goes into detail about
which laws should be eased advocating for the growth of international adoption and
discusses current demographics. Additionally, the author also talks about Latin America,
Romania, and Russia and the technical processes they have since they are so prominent in
international adoption.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
Foreign adoption in the United States grew an average of eleven percent
annually between 1968 and 1986, reaching a high of more than 10,000 in 1986. In
1991, the number of children adopted by U.S. citizens declined to 9,008, with the
highest number of children (3,194) coming from Asia, the second highest (2,761)
coming from Europe, and the third highest (1,949) coming from South America.
The direct result of these concerns of Latin American governments has been the
enactment of stricter adoption laws. For example, in October 1990, the Brazilian
Congress adopted the new "Statute of the Child" which will make it more difficult
for foreign couples to adopt Brazilian children. The statute provides that children

can only be adopted legally through Brazil's juvenile courts. However, the
enactment of this statute did not deter illegal adoptions because of the availability
of an estimated seven million children who remain homeless.
Adoption is considered from two standpoints: the status created by the new
parent-child relationship and the rights flowing from that status. The federal
government grants the right of nationality, citizenship, and their accompanying
benefits. The state governments confer additional rights such as the right to the
adoptive parents' name, the right to support from the adoptive parents, the right to
recover damages in a wrongful death action, and the right to an intestate share in
parental property.
Source Analysis 6
Source Number: 6
MLA Citation:
Strong, Stacie I. "Children's Rights in Intercountry Adoption: Towards a New Goal." BU
int'l LJ 13 (1995): 163.
Source Validation: This article is written by a law professor at the University of
Missouri School of Law who specializes in public and private international law,
comparative law and jurisprudence.
How did you find this source?: I searched up International Adoption Rights in Google
Scholar in the effort to find an article about the rights of children through international
adoption.
Intended audience: This source was directed towards readers of the University of
Michigan Scholarship Repository and students researching international adoption.
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: This article really helps sum up why
international adoption is important and goes into detail about the technical aspects of it.
The first part of the article focuses on the legal bases for adoption and the importance of
international adoption in our society- as developed countries actually do not have that
many children in the adoption system. Additionally, this source outlines childrens rights
in the adoption process and proposes what countries should do in the future in order to
ensure that not only infants and babies get homes, but also older children in the foster
care system- international adoption. In general, the author claims that children should be
given a voice in decisions pertaining to them.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
The unfortunate truth is that many of the legal and societal norms now in place
effectively prohibit needy children from finding suitable homes. While potential
parents in Western countries cry out for babies of their own, millions of children
live in physical and psychological poverty in underfunded orphanages around the
world and governments refuse to recognize the problems inherent in the current
methods of intercountry adoption.

 Because foster care provides some of the benefits of family life, it is better for
the child's emotional well being than institutionalization, but placement in a foster
home should not preclude adoption. Adoption is the best choice for most children,
although it can be the most difficult to achieve, especially with older or specialneeds children.
Observers have pointed to higher rates of contraception, abortion, and single
parenthood as reasons why there are fewer babies available in these countries. On
the other hand, a number of lesser developed countries have an excess of orphans,
due to the stigma of illegitimacy, absence of contraception and abortion services,
and governmental instability.
Source Analysis 7
Source Number: 7
MLA Citation:
"Hague Adoption Process | Intercountry Adoption." U.S. Department of State. U.S.
Department of State, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
Source Validation: This article is on the official site of the US Department of State and
lists all clauses and information in detail.
How did you find this source?: I looked up articles about the international adoption
process.
Intended audience: Potential adoptive parents from a Hague Adoption Convention
country
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: One of my subtopics focuses on the
actual technical process of international adoption. This article details not only the laws
and clauses which allows parents to adopt children from countries in the Hague Adoption
Convention, but also details the process. It also has a good overview which will help me
summarize the details from other scholarly sources in my timed writing.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
U.S. Convention adoption procedures are intended to avoid potential problems
that could prevent children from entering the United States. The process is
structured in a way that allows problems to be identified before U.S. citizen
prospective adoptive parents adopt the child in the childs country of origin. This
helps ensure that every child who is adopted overseas (or brought to the United
States for the purpose of adoption) by U.S. citizen adoptive parents will be able to
enter and reside permanently in the United States.
The accredited or approved ASP that you choose to act as your primary provider
will help you apply to be found suitable and eligible to adopt by the U.S.
government. In order to adopt a child from another country and bring that child to
live in the United States, you must first be found suitable and eligible to adopt
under U.S. law by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You will

not be allowed to bring an adopted child (or a child of whom you have gained
legal custody) into the United States using the Convention process unless USCIS
first determines that you are eligible and suitable to provide proper care for that
child.
If the country determines that you are eligible to adopt under its laws and if a
child for whom you would be a suitable match is eligible for intercountry
adoption, the central adoption authority will send you or your ASP an official
report on the child, which is required under Article 16 of the Convention and is
called an Article 16 report. This report will include information about the child's
psychological, social, and medical history. It also specifies the child's name, date
of birth, and the reasons for making the adoption placement. You should have at
least two weeks to review the Article 16 report and consider the medical and
social needs of the child and your ability to meet those needs. After the requisite
time period, you will either accept or deny the referral.

Source Analysis 8
Source Number: 8
MLA Citation:
"How to Adopt a Waiting Child from the U.S. Foster Care System." Adoptive Families.
N.p., 2016. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
Source Validation: This article is written by Kathy Ledesma who is the Principal
investigator and national project director for AdoptUSKids.
How did you find this source?: I found this source by looking up Foster Care
Adoption in Google and it was one of the most up-to-date sources.
Intended audience: Potential adoptive parents from the foster care system
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: I wanted to focus on the differences
between domestic adoption and international adoption. This source discusses the foster
care system, which is common in the United States, and lists the multiple aspects to
adopting a child from the foster care system domestically. I discovered that not only does
domestic adoption cost less, but it is also faster and less work and struggle for adoptive
parents.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:
The freeing of a child for adoption through the termination of parental rights and
the legal process of adoption are complex procedures. Families who are just
beginning to explore whether or not adoption from foster care is right for them
should plan on spending nine to 18 months, on average, to complete the inquiry,
orientation, preparation classes (typically 24 to 30 hours over the course of
several weeks), and homestudy requirements. In 2014, children spent an average

of 12 months in foster care between the time when parental rights were terminated
and their adoption.
From the perspective of the childs best interests, it is better to be in a foster-toadopt (or concurrent) home as early as possible in his stay in foster care. If
reunification of the birth family and the child is not possible, he will already have
been with a family who can adopt him. Most states give top priority to relatives
and current foster parents when a child becomes legally freed for adoption. In
2014, 86 percent of children adopted from foster care were adopted by relatives or
foster parents.
Prospective adoptive families don't have to have a lot of money or own their
home. In all but a few states, parents can be married or single. (Single-parent
families accounted for 29 percent of all adoptions from foster care in 2014,
according to data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting
System, or AFCARS.) A prospective adoptive family must demonstrate that they
can provide a permanent home for a child or a sibling group, and that they can
provide a safe environment and support the childs physical health, mental health,
and educational and social needs.
Source Analysis 9
Source Number: 9
MLA Citation:
Steltzner, Donovan M. "Intercountry Adoption: Toward a Regime That Recognizes the
Best Interests of Adoptive Parents." Case W. Res. J. Int'l L.35 (2003): 113.
Source Validation: This source was written by a law professor in Case Western Reserve
Universitys Journal of International Law.
How did you find this source?: In Google Scholar, I looked through the related articles
option under one of the sources I used for my second timed writing.
Intended audience: This article is intended for law students and for those interested in
intercountry adoption
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: This article has many components to
it including the basics of international adoption and the detrimental effects of
institutionalization, but for my third subtopic, I want to discuss the procedures of specific,
prominent host countries involved in international adoption. This article goes into great
detail about the technical process in many host countries including Russia and Romania.
The author refers back to history in order to explain why domestic adoption is not as
successful in these countries leaving children to international adoption and further
explains why there are so many children available in these countries making them the
biggest hosts. For example, Romania was suffering through poverty and its former
dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, needed laborers to try to bring up the economy so he banned
birth control and abortion. Unable to provide for that many children, parents would often
give them up and thats how these children entered the international adoption scene.

 Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be

helpful in future writing:
Today, even some twelve years after the fall of the Ceausescu dictatorship,
Romania's economic problems linger, and approximately 100,000 children remain
institutionalized. Birth control devices are not widely used because they are too
expensive. While abortions are now legal and cost about two dollars (U.S.), many
doctors refuse to perform an abortion without a bribe.
Romanian adoption laws, like their Russian counterparts, attempt to balance the
country's inability to take care of its own children with feelings of national pride.
The current law requires that a child who has been declared an "orphan" must be
reserved for adoption by Romanian parents for sixty days.
All adoptions, whether they are domestic or international, entail some level of
risk-taking by the prospective parents. Both child and parent require an
adjustment and bonding period ranging from months to years, depending on a
variety of factors. However, when a child is institutionalized, as most orphans
from Russia and Romania have been, the odds that the child will have physical
and psychological problems are much greater.
Source Analysis 10
Source Number: 10
MLA Citation:
Bisignaro, Susann M. "Intercountry Adoption Today and the Implications of the 1993
Hague Convention on Tomorrow." Dick. J. Int'l L. 13 (1994): 123.
Source Validation: This source is written by a law professor and is published in the Penn
State International Law Review.
How did you find this source?: I searched up Hague Convention in Google Scholar
while trying to find sources for my second timed writing.
Intended audience: Law students at Penn State; For those interested in international
adoption
What arguments/topics does this source discuss?: My last subtopic is going to discuss
the situation of host countries and how international adoption is a necessary asset which
helps the unwanted children in these countries. This sources not only summarizes the
financial states of host countries like Romania and Peru, but also details how
international adoption is a medium which these countries require. At the same time, this
article also discusses the negative side effects which international adoption can bring
including the creation of a black market and representatives deceiving poor families by
pocketing a lot of the earnings themselves. Because the domestic adoption systems are
not really set up in countries like Romania, international adoption is the most viable
solution.
Minimum 3 quotes, paraphrases, summaries of source text that seem likely to be
helpful in future writing:

 There are reports of Americans traveling to Guatemala, Peru, Romania, and

China only to find their adoption waylaid by requests for more money, gifts, and
compliance with other requirements. For example, in Hong Kong, parents will
not even be considered if they are more than twenty percent overweight when
they arrive to adopt the child.
Prospective adopters, generally Western couples, arrived in Peru offering from
$10,000 to $17,000 for a relatively simple adoption to be completed in six
weeks." There are even reports of unscrupulous adoption representatives "renting"
the womb of desperate women and selling the babies.
Following the fall of Ceausescu's regime, media attention was drawn to the
thousands of big-eyed, lost Romanian babies trapped behind white crib bars.
Thereafter, a flood of empathetic Westerners poured into Romania seeking to
adopt these poor children. In 1991, 2552 Romanian children were adopted by U.S.
parents, amounting to the greatest number of children adopted from one country.