Florida’s international adoption rates are on the upswing. While it’s welcome news for adoptive parents in Canada, the uptick is more worrisome in America. According to adoption officials, Floridian mothers – citing very real concerns over racism – are placing children up for adoption elsewhere to escape domestic persecution.
Reports show a growing number of Florida mothers wish to place their African-American or mixed race children up for adoption in countries like Canada. These fearful mothers are hoping for a better life for their children, a life free from the intolerance they’ve personally experienced.
One needn’t look far along national headlines to sense racial tension in America. The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO has inspired protests and summoned the National Guard.
The high-profile shooting death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin occurred only a year before. The incident sparked similar protests and seems to have had a ripple effect throughout the region. There are legitimate concerns on behalf of the African-American community whether their children are safe and secure.
Placing a child up for adoption is a difficult decision, one often made to potentially provide a better parental foundation. Some mothers, especially among early age brackets, simply don’t have the means or resources to provide for their children. These challenges in America occasionally open the door for international solutions.
Apart from curtailing racism, Canada’s parental-leave benefits have proved a powerful incentive for Florida mothers. The mothers believe their children will have a better opportunity to bond with their adopted parents in these cases.
For now it seems one of the least visible victims of domestic racism – adoptive parents looking to foster a loving environment for adopted children – will suffer immediate consequences. This trend is likely to continue in Florida until fears of racism are extinguished in some form or another.