FacePalm Friday

Welcome to this week’s edition of FacePalm Friday.

This is where your hosts will list their top picks for this week’s FacePalm moment—something they learned or read about this week that caused the FacePalm to happen (you know, the expression of embarrassment, frustration, disbelief, shock, disgust or mixed humor as depicted in our Rally FacePalm smiley).

We invite you to add your FacePalm of the week to our comments. Go ahead and add a link, tell a personal story, or share something that triggered the FacePalm on the subject of child welfare or adoption.

Your Host’s Selections:

(1) Agency advertising through faux media stories (again)

“Jennifer Dibble, with Bethany Christian Services, says the difference between life in Ethiopia and the U.S. is significant.

Disease and hunger are commonplace…where here in East Tennessee…children like Netsa have a chance at a better life.”

Agency, parents promote international adoption

[Local 8 6/4/12]

Except for those Chinese adoptees who were killed in Tennessee by their adoptive parents-both clients of Bethany. Justin Hansen didn’t fair well either.

(2)Church promotion of international adoption as advocating for vulnerable children

http://summitconnect.org/pages/international-adoption-faq

They immediately blur the lines and put up this strawman. This is at  the heart of the Christian Orphan Movement. No where does this   discuss POVERTY and how to help *families* on the ground-just  sponsoring through their organization that takes the money.

The two worst lines “”It’s important to remember that God’s economy is  different than our own, and He can provide for whatever you need to  do when He is calling you to do it.”” and the utterly false “Typically, the agency also runs the care center that your child is in, so they are working for both your  child and you to bring you together in a timely and organized fashion.” They obviously only know about Ethiopia.

(3)News conference about how you are adopting a child with HIV while masking your name and sharing a lot of private details of your child’s family!

“Identifying herself only as “Michelle,” the mother said at a  news conference in Taipei that she found four-year-old Han Han “more alike than different,” after spending some time with  him.

Michelle, a mother of two from Alaska, said she and her  husband learned about Han Han last year through an adoption agency.

After consulting with doctors and undertaking their own  research, they decided it would be “very manageable” to raise a child with the condition, she said.

Michelle, who arrived in Taiwan with her family in late March  for the adoption procedure, has spent the past three weeks with Han Han, along with his older brother and sister, who are  both HIV-negative.

Despite being advised of the challenges that could arise from  adopting children, Michelle said she did not find a great deal  of difference between Taiwanese children and any others. [What the heck is that supposed to mean?]

“They want love; they want parents; they want a home,” she said.”

“Recognizing that there will be struggles with HIV as Han Han  grows, Michelle said they would handle those problems in the same way they have dealt with problems with their own children so far.”

US family from Alaska to adopt HIV-positive child and his two siblings

[Taipei Times 6/6/12]

(4)Moronic analysis of Ethiopia adoption

This very long “analysis” is so full of misinformation that it was exhausting to read all of the propaganda. http://thecarrollstory.blogspot.com/2012/05/wsj-article-rebuttal.html

From claiming that not clearly approvable cases were obvious DOS errors to conspiracy theories on how DOS has disdain for Ethiopian adoptions to statistics she pulls from , I think she would like a FastPass for Ethiopian adoptions in her Disney Fantasyland view of adoption.

(5) Another life imitates REFORM Animation Studios

At age 64 and 65 they are adopting two at once from China… and the academic success of these 7 children are sure to be propped by the Advocates to promote high risk situations. I can hear them saying “Your children will all succeed just like these children!” SEVEN siblings graduate high school with honors at the same time… from family with 18 children, 14 of whom are adopted [Daily Mail 6/6/12 by Emily Anne Epstein]

(6) Dominique Moceanu’s Parents Adopted Out her Disabled Younger Sister, Unknown to her until 5 years ago.

‘It was the biggest bombshell of my life’: Olympic gymnast Dominique Moceanu discovers her parents gave up secret sister without legs for adoption [Daily Mail 6/8/12]

We are glad they are in contact now.