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37
because the medical and psychological history of adopted children is usually limited or
unknown. Many orphans are abandoned and left with little to no documentation of birth,
previous illnesses or family medical history, leaving some to question the influence of
heredity as a predictor of future behavior and health. Likewise, some opponents of
international adoption believe this lack of knowledge could open a family up to “bad
blood.”
In April 2010, Torry-Ann Hansen of Tennessee made headlines because she put
her seven-year-old adoptive son on a plane by himself and sent him back to Russia,
where he was born. She believed that the orphanage misled her and claimed that the
child had severe psychological issues with which she was not prepared to deal. This rash
decision to “return” her adoptive child sparked outrage in Russia and essentially caused
the Russian government to halt all adoptions to the U.S until both countries could agree
on proper adoption procedures. Since an adoptive parent’s most significant concern is for
the welfare and well being of the child, several questions arise for the potential parent
during the adoption process. Will this child be better off in my home? Am I ready to deal
with any unknown issues this child may have? These questions should be answered in
depth before the adoption process has started but unfortunately, in this case, Hansen was
not prepared to deal with whatever problems her adoptive son may have had. This story
was detrimental to the international community as national and international outrage
ensued over Hansen’s decision. People on both sides of the debate criticized this adoptive
mother for turning her back in a very cold manner on the child she once called her own.
Contributing to this issue, several studies show that the length of time a child spends in
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 49 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 37 because the medical and psychological history of adopted children is usually limited or unknown. Many orphans are abandoned and left with little to no documentation of birth, previous illnesses or family medical history, leaving some to question the influence of heredity as a predictor of future behavior and health. Likewise, some opponents of international adoption believe this lack of knowledge could open a family up to “bad blood.” In April 2010, Torry-Ann Hansen of Tennessee made headlines because she put her seven-year-old adoptive son on a plane by himself and sent him back to Russia, where he was born. She believed that the orphanage misled her and claimed that the child had severe psychological issues with which she was not prepared to deal. This rash decision to “return” her adoptive child sparked outrage in Russia and essentially caused the Russian government to halt all adoptions to the U.S until both countries could agree on proper adoption procedures. Since an adoptive parent’s most significant concern is for the welfare and well being of the child, several questions arise for the potential parent during the adoption process. Will this child be better off in my home? Am I ready to deal with any unknown issues this child may have? These questions should be answered in depth before the adoption process has started but unfortunately, in this case, Hansen was not prepared to deal with whatever problems her adoptive son may have had. This story was detrimental to the international community as national and international outrage ensued over Hansen’s decision. People on both sides of the debate criticized this adoptive mother for turning her back in a very cold manner on the child she once called her own. Contributing to this issue, several studies show that the length of time a child spends in |
