Letter: Rights and wrongs of buying babies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: I am appalled by your leading article 'Bureaucracy makes a case for buying babies' (15 July). As the article itself says, the case currently in the news relates to a couple allegedly buying a baby from her parents. How does this equate with the neglected orphans in primitive orphanages that you use as justification? Where is your evidence for the 'benign meeting of supply and demand'? Can you be sure of the good intentions of all those wou1d-be adopters who avoid bureaucracy which aims to check that they are indeed both benign and likely to be adequate as parents of someone else's child?
No doubt most of the children did go to families who were well intentioned and welcoming, although the evidence of subsequent breakdowns of some of these adoptions demonstrates that good intentions are not always enough. But without the bureaucracy you choose to denigrate, the destination and fate of children who are being sold is far from certain.
Children who are being adopted will already have lost one set of parents; they have a right to expect that those responsible for their welfare do everything they can to minimise further trauma or loss. That entails checking the background of those who wish to adopt, preparing them for the far from easy task ahead and choosing a family for each child which has the best chance of making a success of caring for him or her. Yes, this is bureaucracy and it can be time consuming. It is also necessary and purposeful.
Yours faithfully,
CHRISTINE HAMMOND
Director
British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering
London, SE1
15 July
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments