by Borden Black
An increasing number of American citizens are adopting children from other countries according to the US State Department. An estimated 7,900 of them came from China last year alone.
Ella Bullard is one of those babies. Her parents Elizabeth and John brought her back to Columbus four years ago and are now in the process of adopting another girl.
Elizabeth says it all began 12 or 13 years ago. “We got on a plane in Tampa going to Hawaii. A Time magazine was in the in seat,” she recalled. “I looked over and she was crying,” her husband remembered. “She said, ‘You’ve got to read this article.’ It was something like ‘The Lost Daughters of China.’”
Elizabeth, Ella and John Bullard will soon welcome
Lily (R) into the family.
The State Department points out that international adoption is essentially a private legal matter between those who wish to adopt, and a foreign court, which operates under that country’s laws and regulations.
The Bullards say you have to use an agency. They found European Adoption Consultants, Inc. (EAC) of Cleveland Ohio. Although the location was not very convenient, “They have Zhou,” John said. Qiliang Zhou is a native of China and according to the EAC has been Program Coordinator for China since 1995.
The Chinese government assigns a child to each applicant according to the Bullards. “You don’t know anything about the child,” John said. “You get a referral in Chinese and you get a picture. One of Zhou’s responsibilities is to translate it.” He also travels to China with every group of families and helps with the adoption process. “He was awesome. I talked to other groups without a chaperone and they were on their own.”
Although the three weeks they spent in China waiting for Ella were pleasant, Elizabeth said the paperwork was a nightmare. “In addition to all the forms, back-ground checks and fingerprinting needed for a domestic adoption, you have to add all the additional steps of the INS background checks.”
Many of the steps take weeks and John points out that “expedite” is not in the INS vocabulary. He recommends that anyone involved in the overseas adoption process be aware of the dates immigration paperwork expires. All the expirations come at different times. They discovered during their first adoption that a necessary piece of paperwork had expired. However with Sen. Max Cleland’s help they were able to get the renewal in just a couple of weeks.
In 1979, China implemented its onechild policy. According to the EAC the policy led to the practice of abandoning newborn girls. In China, sons are favored more because they carry the family name and are responsible for caring for their aging parents. For that reason most of the children available from China are girls. Although abandonment is against the law, many of the girls are abandoned. “Our daughter was found on the steps of an elementary school,” John explained. At the time of adoption the girls are usually between 8 and 12 months old.
There are now some incentives being offered by the Chinese government to keep females according to the Bullards. That may be one reason it is taking a little longer to get their second child, Lily.
The Bullards say some potential parents may wonder if the love for an adopted Chinese girl is the same. John’s response is quick, “When they hand you that little girl, there is nothing like it. There is no way there is any stronger love for a child, even if he or she is your own. I challenge you, it’s more.” Elizabeth added, “People will come up and say that’s not your real daughter. It is and I am mom to her.”
They don’t plan to hide her background from Ella and have Chinese items around the house. “Our goal was to give her a better life than she would have had there,” said John. “Conditions in China are not what we’re used to.”
The Bullards recognized “gotcha day” for Ella in September, and will celebrate her birthday in December. Next year there will be two December birthdays and a second “gotcha day” to celebrate. The Bullards got word in early November that Lily, who will turn one year old in December, would come home to Columbus in a matter of weeks. Just the Christmas gift they were hoping for!
The Bullards say they will be glad to answer questions from families considering a Chinese adoption. They can be reached at their business, Leisure Lifestyles, at 706-322-2411. You can also get more information at The Office of Children’s Issues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Recorded information on international adoption for several countries is available on a 24-hour basis through recorded telephone messages at 1-888-407-4747.
