Posted on 03/12/2002 1:26:04 PM PST by antaresequity
The practice, which is widespread among private adoption facilitators, of charging prospective parents different fees depending on the race or ethnicity of the child they adopt is one that Hutcherson is fighting to change from his Redmond, Wash., church. The Antioch Bible Church has established its own adoption agency, and is lobbying state legislators to change Washington's laws.
"I've got championship Rottweilers. I sell them by supply and demand," Hutcherson said. "I raise thoroughbred racehorses. I sell them by supply and demand. I'm not going to let people sell children by supply and demand. What's the difference between that and slavery?"
The campaign to change the law is directed at Washington state legislators, but Hutcherson said he would prefer to see the federal government step in and create one set of regulations governing adoption, rather than leaving the issue to the states to decide.
Current Washington law bans payments to a birth mother for placing a child for adoption, but does not address payments for arranging an adoption or the fees that may be charged.
"I think it's an issue that Americans have not looked at closely enough, because if they had, things wouldn't be the way they are," he said.
He hopes to get attention around Washington with a billboard campaign as soon as he can raise the $70,000 to $80,000 he needs. The billboards will feature a white baby, a latino baby and a black baby and next to each, the fees some adoption facilitators might charge for them: $35,000, $10,000 and $4,000.
He said that besides putting a price on children, the practice discriminates against white babies and people who seek to adopt them — an issue he said has been overlooked because white people, particularly those who can afford the high adoption fees charged, are not used to considering themselves victims of discrimination.
"I know about discrimination," said Hutcherson, who is black. "I don't care who it's against, it's wrong. Tell me that if it was black babies that cost $50,000 and white babies that cost $4,000, people would be screaming their heads off."
A lot cheaper to get one than to get rid of one when she gets older.
Why? Supply and Demand? Racisim? Or is it just because the aliens want it that way??? Someone please explain!
Parents that pay the most get first pick. ;)
Volume-priced, and with a limited customer base. Black babies make up a much higher percentage of the adoption population than the percentage of blacks in the overall population, which is higher than the percentage of blacks in the adoptive-parents population. (google-searching for the exact numbers...) While not every adoption is monochromatic, they are by far the majority. (I'll try to find the number of black families that adopt white children, but I don't recall ever seeing that breakdown)
Too strong a liklihood that a black child who is adopted by whites will become successful and conservative. If this happened only rarely, it wouldn't be a problem, but if there were very many successful black conservatives it would no longer be possible for the media to deny that such people exist.
Children can be placed across racial lines and have been for the past twenty years. This has been prolife white america's shield from facing their dereliction of duty, in my opinion.
You know ... the sorts our President purchases "already been killed" for his ever-Hopeful ESCR program.
They have also been at the receiving end of some stupid racist comments for having a "mixed" family
Sounds like people who are walking the walk. Never, ever go through the state in an adoption. Always go to agencies.
To buy or rent?
Wow, I can't believe I said that. If you're reading this I must've had the nerve to hit "post reply."
I'm a computer programmer. Every time I type the word "IF" I am telling a program to discriminate. Discrimination is a VERY GOOD THING. Sometimes it is improperly exercised, but that is a different subject altogether.
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