More thinking aloud ....

When I came home today, my eyes happened to glance at today's Straits Times and something caught my attention. An article on how there's a sharp drop in couples applying to adopt kids. Interesting article that explains the downward trend could be due to the stricter checks on would-be parents that were introduced since 2005. And how strick you wonder. Let's see, in the article, it says that would-be parents have to go through checks, known as the Home Study Reports, if they choose to adopt from overseas. These checks are 'in line with international best practices to safeguard a child's welfare'. Sounds good as we would want to ensure that the adopted children are safe and find good homes just in case we have whackos who may want to adopt children just to make them miserable. So good on us for having such checks.

And let's see what these would-be parents have to go through. Hmm....interviews and background checks, and the first interview has up to 70 questions that range from would-be parents dating history, how they resolve their conflicts, what child-rearing books they have read, who is the disciplinarian among the couple, what they do during their spare time and if they have attended any talks on child-rearing *frowns*. And they would also have to submit proof of their financial stability, past history of mental illness and criminal record. All this must be completed even before would-be parents start scouting for a foreign kid to adopt.

Okay, that's a very thorough check to ensure that would-be parents are totally 'qualified' to be parents. It seems to be such a torture for would-be parents who desire children but for different reasons, may not be able to *frowns* Now if you're wondering why I am frowning, well I don't understand. On the one hand, we go all out to make it really difficult for people to adopt, when the world has so many children without families and need good homes to live and grow up in.

And on the other hand, any woman who is able to bear children can choose to breed even if she is irresponsible. I know of women who smoke and take alcohol throughout their pregnancy. I have read of parents who abuse and abandon their children. I know of families who neglect their children, not even meeting the children's basic needs and leave the kids to fend for themselves. Yet, these parents or people do not have to go through any form of assessment to deem them to be fit parents. Yes, they will be punished IF the case is surface to the authorities and they will be counselled accordingly. But the trauma on the children, what they already had to go through would scar them for live.

It just seems so sad that people who love children, want to have children and only option would be to adopt have to go through so much to 'qualify' to adopt when we should have stricter punishment for parents who are irresponsible. Just a quick check with some of my friends who are parents...I asked some of the questions I listed above and all I got from them were laughs at how silly I sounded asking them those questions.

Thank you to Wee Siew Kim, Member of Parliament, who pleaded for simplified procedures. Let's home that these checks will be reviewed so that it's easier for Singaporeans to adopt children who desperately need good homes. Is there any petition that I can sign for this?