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13
Even with the exposure of various abuses to orphaned and institutionalized
children, adoption rates slowed in the early 1900s due to the growing belief that no matter
what their home life was like, abandoned children would inherit any and all physical and
psychological problems from their parents. Similar to the theories of Charles Loring
Brace, the study of eugenics advocated the use of applied science to improve the genetic
composition of a population (National Library of Medicine). Americans were extremely
concerned with the genetic makeup of illegitimate and orphaned children at this time.
Henry H. Goddard, a prominent eugenicist was an outspoken opponent to adoption
stating,
Now it happens that some people are interested in the welfare and high
development of the human race; but leaving aside those exceptional people, all
fathers and mothers are interested in the welfare of their own families. The dearest
thing to the parental heart is to have the children marry well and rear a noble
family. How short-sighted it is then for such a family to take into its midst a child
whose pedigree is absolutely unknown; or, where, if it were partially known, the
probabilities are strong that it would show poor and diseased stock, and that if a
marriage should take place between that individual and any member of the family
the offspring would be degenerates.
According to Richard Lynn in Eugenics: a reassessment, "By the middle decades of the
twentieth century, eugenics had become widely accepted throughout the whole of the
economically developed world, with the exception of the Soviet Union." The popularity
of eugenic policies continued until they became directly associated with Nazi Germany
and the intended extermination of the Jewish population.
The years between 1945 and 1974 were called the Baby Scoop Era because of the
startling increase in infant births and adoptions after World War II (BabyScoopEra.com).
The number of illegitimate births skyrocketed and several single mothers were coerced
Object Description
| Title | Babies without borders: exploring perceptions of international adoption |
| Author | Roberts, Nicole Marie |
| Author email | n.roberts@ymail.com; simplynicolemarie@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Strategic Public Relations |
| School | Annenberg School for Communication |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-31 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-03 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Floto, Jennifer D. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Lynch, Brenda Thorson, Kjerstin |
| Abstract | International adoption is an incredibly complex and hotly debated issue. In an effort to understand the roots of the system, the author delves deep into the history of adoption and the transition to international adoption in the United States while examining the perceptions of the system today.; Using public relations techniques, the author offers communication-based recommendations that will help mitigate any stigma so that international adoptions continue without the negative undertones that are often associated with the idea of adopting from another country. |
| Keyword | adoption; international adoption |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA; Greece; Korea; Vietnam; Guatemala; Romania; USSR; China |
| Coverage date | 1939/2009 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3877 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Roberts, Nicole Marie |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Roberts-4524 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Roberts-4524.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 25 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 13 Even with the exposure of various abuses to orphaned and institutionalized children, adoption rates slowed in the early 1900s due to the growing belief that no matter what their home life was like, abandoned children would inherit any and all physical and psychological problems from their parents. Similar to the theories of Charles Loring Brace, the study of eugenics advocated the use of applied science to improve the genetic composition of a population (National Library of Medicine). Americans were extremely concerned with the genetic makeup of illegitimate and orphaned children at this time. Henry H. Goddard, a prominent eugenicist was an outspoken opponent to adoption stating, Now it happens that some people are interested in the welfare and high development of the human race; but leaving aside those exceptional people, all fathers and mothers are interested in the welfare of their own families. The dearest thing to the parental heart is to have the children marry well and rear a noble family. How short-sighted it is then for such a family to take into its midst a child whose pedigree is absolutely unknown; or, where, if it were partially known, the probabilities are strong that it would show poor and diseased stock, and that if a marriage should take place between that individual and any member of the family the offspring would be degenerates. According to Richard Lynn in Eugenics: a reassessment, "By the middle decades of the twentieth century, eugenics had become widely accepted throughout the whole of the economically developed world, with the exception of the Soviet Union." The popularity of eugenic policies continued until they became directly associated with Nazi Germany and the intended extermination of the Jewish population. The years between 1945 and 1974 were called the Baby Scoop Era because of the startling increase in infant births and adoptions after World War II (BabyScoopEra.com). The number of illegitimate births skyrocketed and several single mothers were coerced |
