143 Mllion Orphans?

EDITORIAL Who are the 143 Million Orphans? 

By Mirah Riben
February/March 2010 CONDUCIVE

Statistics suggest that 143 million orphans exist around the globe. Presumably these orphans need homes and international adoption is the way to do it. A lesser known statistic is that many of these children are older, beyond the desired age for adopting, and have parents that could conceivably care for them with some assistance. Regardless, pro-international adoption agencies and scholars such as Harvard Professor Elizabeth Bartholet use such statistics to set up "orphan babies" as a worldwide problem and international adoption as the answer. Adoption activist Mirah Riben rethinks this number, and explores how support for international adoption can lead otherwise well-meaning agencies not to support other possibilities, such as state welfare services.

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