Introduction
Just recently, a three year old adopted Russian boy died in the United States. Russian officials claimed that Maxim Kuzin was beaten badly before his dying in his adopted home of Texas. According to Elks (1), American families make adoptions of children of Russians than those of any other nation. In the year 2011, there were 962 cases of adoption (Stolley 1). Therefore, adoption is critical for those people who are not able to have children as well as orphaned children. Adoption take two forms which is formal and informal adoption. Formal adoption involve a legal recognition that a parent relationship is made. Informal adoption occur when the mother permit another individual or family to take parental responsibility for the child. As such, adoption remains a significant part in the social landscape in America. However, issues such as the death of Maxim Kuzin while under the care of his adopted parents creating a concern regarding concern, especially for international adoptions. Therefore, adoption should be encouraged and celebrated despite occasional unfortunate cases of adoption.
Argument
In the book One Amazing Thing, the theme of adoption is portrayed by Cameron. The book is about nine characters who get stranded at an Indian Consulate as they are seek visa to travel to India. Each character has his or her own reasoning to travel to India. However, when an earthquake strike, they are trapped and they tell their stories. It is Cameron who bring out the theme of adoption, especially international adoption. Cameron fought in the Vietnam war and returns home with anxiety, stress and insomnia. During the war, Cameron killed many men. This, together with the death of his unborn son, makes Cameron feel so guilty. Though he tries to make up for his acts during the war by volunteer at a local hospice, Cameron cannot make up for the abortion of his unborn child. While at the hospice, a Priest named Jeff suggest that he should adopt a child from India, and he immediately contacts an adoption agency (Barnejee 36).
Cameron starts sponsoring an Indian girl called Seva and begins sending her letters and money. He is on his way to India to visit Seva when the earthquake strikes. From the book, it is clear that Cameron has finally make up for his past mistakes and sorrows by chosing to adopt Seva. By adopting a child and become a full time parent, Cameron feels that he can get over the disappointment he felt when he learnt that his girlfriend Imani had an abortion. Therefore, adoption brings joy to all the parties including the adopted child and the adopting parent or family. It helps heal people, for example those who cannot have children, as well as those who have had miscarriages. In Cameron’s case, it helps him to health the wound of the death of his unborn baby.
According to Dudley (18), adoption has numerous benefits. First, it helps to stem misery and poverty that comes along with births that are outside marriage. Second, it enables children to be placed in stable and loving family structures, something they might not be able to have with their biological parents. Third, adoption enables childless couples to create families. By choosing ton adopt an Indian child, Cameron seems to be making a good choice. This is because according to Dudley (27), children that are adopt from Asia tend to show positive results. Also, adoption can be say to be a precious and unselfish gift to a child. This is because it provide the child with a secure, loving and stable family or parent, and also gives the child life.
Even more, international adoptions need to be celebrate because they have enabled thousands of orphans and poor children to find loving families and parents. While some advocate that such children should be placed in orphanages and foster homes, studies indicates that this deprives children of close emotional relationships (Pradesh 5). This in turn impair their capacity to make personal connections throughout their lives. What this means is that adoption enables children to have normal personal connections with their adopted parents. They find new homes and feel loved and this enables them to have normal lives which involves emotional relationships, contact and connection. For example, Cameron feels fulfilled after adopting Seva because he views as the child he never had. That is why lovingly sends her letters and money. He even want to bring her back with him to the United States. This is an act that has brought happiness to both Cameron and Seva.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is evident that adoption should be encouraged. Mothers should be discouraged from aborting their babies but rather give birth and give them up for adoption. In Cameron’s case however, there might be the problem of single parenthood. It would be much better if Seva gets adopted in a stable family rather than by a single parent. Also evident is that adoption brings happiness and is beneficial both to the adoptee and the adopting family. Therefore, despite occasional adoption scandals such as the one noted in the introduction and baby selling, international adoptions should be celebrated. These rare scandals should not obscure the benefit of adoption.
Works Cited
Banerjee, Chitra Divakaruni. One Amazing Thing. New Delhi: Penguin Books India Limited, 2010.
Dudley, William. Issues in Adoption. New York: Greenhaven Press, 2004.
Elks, Sonia. Russia Investigates Adopted Boy’s Death in US. Reuters, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 March 2013.
Pradesh, Andhra. Journey of Journeys in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s One Amazing Thing. The Criterion: An International Journal in English, 2012, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 1-7.
Stolley, Kathy. Statistics on Adoption in the United States. The Future of Children Adoption, Spring 1993, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 26-42.
