23. Separated: The Ethics of Adoption

Born in Vietnam, Lynelle Long felt like an outsider as the only nonwhite child in her family and community in Victoria, Australia. As an adoptee, she spent her entire adult life fighting to understand and connect with her identity and her past — a basic fundamental human right that was taken from her.

While the accurate number is grossly underreported, the UN estimates that around 260,000 adoptions take place worldwide each year-- of them, roughly half are adopted into American families. When we hear about adoption, we often overlook the horrors of international and domestic scams that perpetuate the exploitation of children.

In this episode, we’ll unpack the financial incentives of international adoption systems that fuel the theft of children from their families. What are the hidden schemes that enable the kidnapping and sale of adoptees? How can we protect adoptees and adoptive families from abusive systems where they have no rights or support services?

Featuring policy and advocacy insights from experts: Julie G. Rosicky, Executive Director of International Social Service-USA and David Smolin, International Lawyer and Director of the Center for Children, Law and Ethics at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.

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Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media.

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