So, yeah, adoption is the new black. It’s hip, it’s trendy, it’s popular with celebrities. But it’s not nearly popular enough.

The current rate of adoption is so small that’s its like a raindrop of the hurricane of the orphan crisis. According to a study by the United Nations, it would require 60 times the number of adoptions now taking place to absorb all the orphans needing homes in the world. (thanks to Kate for posting about the study.)

Africa has it the worst. Africa has more “double” orphans – children who have lost both parents – than anywhere else in the world. According to the UN study, in many sub-Saharan African countries, double orphans make up 3 percent or more of the under-18 population.

It would take 2,000 times the current number of adoptions to find families for the 7.7 million children in Africa who have no parents.

These data make me especially appalled at those people who argue against international adoptions on the basis that the children of the third world are being ripped away by imperialistic Americans who are depriving the children of their heritage. What a load of crap.

It is indisputable that children would be better served by an adoption within their own culture and country. It is also indisputable that there are not enough people in Ethiopia to adopt all these kids. In the meantime, the majority of Ethiopian orphans will die, or will survive for some time in poverty, disease, and hunger.

A tiny fraction of these orphans will get adopted by people from other countries, and will miss out on their Ethiopian culture. This is indeed a significant loss, and a life away from one’s homeland and biological family is definitely a life compromised.

But it’s a whole lot better than no life at all.