# Why do people from the US go to foreign countries to adopt children?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-from-the-us-go-to-foreign-countries-to-adopt-children/579782>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 26, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-from-the-us-go-to-foreign-countries-to-adopt-children/579782 "2011-04-26T17:28:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-from-the-us-go-to-foreign-countries-to-adopt-children/579782/41 "2012-10-08T20:15:43Z")

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> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> My wife and I never did. Neither did a few of our friends.
> 
> 😕

Neither did we nor to the best of knowledge any one of our travel group.

For us it was mainly the knowledge that we as White parents would be frowned upon in a domestic agency from adopting a Black child and that there were many other White couples who very much wanted a child who looked like them. We were not concerned about that but did like the track record of healthy kids coming out of China. Hence our adopted child is from China.

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-from-the-us-go-to-foreign-countries-to-adopt-children/579782/42 "2012-10-08T20:43:38Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> We’re not all Madonna, but my impression is that she went to an orphanage, like going to a dog breeder to pick out the best of the litter, flashed a checkbook, and the child was bought wrapped up with a ribbon.
> 
> Is that commensurate in any way with a line of adoption for the rest of mortals?

Yeah, this is basically how wealthy celebrities adopt children. With enough money every single obstacle will be waived away. And it used to work the exact same way in the US.

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