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Foreign Adoption Options Increasing

By: Michael Gartland

Of the Post and Courier Staff

They never really thought too much about having kids, remembered Judy Thornton. She and her husband, Butch, figured at some point they would come to a decision, but as she tells it, that never happened. "There may have been some issues, but we never did investigate to see if it was one thing or another," she said. "It just never happened." Then one day, while driving along the road, Thornton had the distinct feeling she was receiving a message. She was listening to a musician on the radio relate his story of adopting a child, and it touched a nerve. God, she said, was leading her to adopt. Now, the Mount Pleasant couple are raising two adopted babies- one from Guatemala.

Judy Thornton plans to start a nonprofit organization to teach people about the needs overseas. At a July 24 workshop, the couple offered their experiences to others considering international adoption as an alternative. The Thornton's are by no means alone in their endeavor. Over the past three decades, the number of international adoptions has sky-rocketed and so has the number of workshops instructing couples on how to proceed. Just last year, American citizens adopted 21,100 immigrant orphans, according to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 1976, that number was 6,552. Steve Eargle, the director of the Cherished Children International Adoption Agency in Anderson, said that since he began familiarizing himself with adoption issues in 1986, the number of workshops has increased. "If there were any then, we didn't know about international adoption (workshops)," he said. "We started hearing about it 1996, '97."

Eargle started educating himself in adoption issues in 1986 when he and his wife adopted three children in South Carolina. Since then, they have adopted two more children, both from Romania, and Eargle went from working as a Southern Baptist minister to running an adoption agency focused mainly on facilitating international adoptions. "That was mainly because we adopted from Romania," he said. "As we've been in business, we've had some pregnant mothers contact us for help." The Thorntons adopted both of their children through Eargle's agency and have since pledged their support by speaking to others interested in adopting. "It gives people a chance to ask any questions," said Judy Thornton of the workshop at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant. "We're real open." That openness has attracted the attention of others. Her neighbors in RiverTowne are now considering adoption. Kim and David Gorham have tried in vitro fertilization and are contemplating artificial insemination, but the emotional ups-and-downs of the in vitro process left them thinking about adoption. It involved not only hormone injections two to three times a day for Kim and a painful procedure for David , but also the disappointment that came with two failed attempts. "You just become so emotional that it becomes the main focus of your life," Kim Gorham said. When the couple first began discussing their options, Kim leaned toward in vitro and David more toward adoption. Now, said David, Kim is starting to warm up to the idea of adopting a child. "With adoption, there's a sense of guarantee," he said. "That no matter what the cost, there won't be the same disappointment." Still, there will be challenges. David suffers from heart condition, and as part of the adoption process, the couple must prove that they will be fit parents, physically and otherwise. This will mean proving they can adequately support the child. They will have to learn about the adoption laws in the foreign country and those in South Carolina. And eventually, they may have to pay as much as $20,000 in foreign adoption fees. They also will bring a child into a much better economic situation.

Emma, the Thorntons' adopted daughter, once lived in a hut with a dirt floor and a dugout hole as a toilet. Her biological mother earned $3 a day doing laundry in Guatemala, and had to support two other children as well. Her mother knew she would not be able to support Emma, but knew someone else might provide a better home. Another consideration is how the relative permanence of adoption depends on where a child is adopted. If the Gorhams decide to travel abroad to find a child, they will not be burdened with the worries that often accompany adoption in the United States. Here, said Eargle, adoption is not always final. "Domestic adoption is so risky with birth mothers changing their minds," he said. "That's what people tell me, they don't want to look over their shoulder the rest of their lives. In a foreign country, when a judge gives a final decision, it can never be undone."




	Foreign Adoption Options Increasing By: Michael Gartland Of the Post and Courier Staff They never really thought too much about having kids, remembered Judy Thornton. She and her husband, Butch, figured at some point they would come to a decision, but as she tells it, that never happened. "There may have been some issues, but we never did investigate to see if it was one thing or another," she said. "It just never happened." Then one day, while driving along the road, Thornton had the distinct feeling she was receiving a message. She was listening to a musician on the radio relate his story of adopting a child, and it touched a nerve. God, she said, was leading her to adopt. Now, the Mount Pleasant couple are raising two adopted babies- one from Guatemala. Judy Thornton plans to start a nonprofit organization to teach people about the needs overseas. At a July 24 workshop, the couple offered their experiences to others considering international adoption as an alternative. The Thornton's are by no means alone in their endeavor. Over the past three decades, the number of international adoptions has sky-rocketed and so has the number of workshops instructing couples on how to proceed. Just last year, American citizens adopted 21,100 immigrant orphans, according to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 1976, that number was 6,552. Steve Eargle, the director of the Cherished Children International Adoption Agency in Anderson, said that since he began familiarizing himself with adoption issues in 1986, the number of workshops has increased. "If there were any then, we didn't know about international adoption (workshops)," he said. "We started hearing about it 1996, '97." Eargle started educating himself in adoption issues in 1986 when he and his wife adopted three children in South Carolina. Since then, they have adopted two more children, both from Romania, and Eargle went from working as a Southern Baptist minister to running an adoption agency focused mainly on facilitating international adoptions. "That was mainly because we adopted from Romania," he said. "As we've been in business, we've had some pregnant mothers contact us for help." The Thorntons adopted both of their children through Eargle's agency and have since pledged their support by speaking to others interested in adopting. "It gives people a chance to ask any questions," said Judy Thornton of the workshop at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Mt. Pleasant. "We're real open." That openness has attracted the attention of others. Her neighbors in RiverTowne are now considering adoption. Kim and David Gorham have tried in vitro fertilization and are contemplating artificial insemination, but the emotional ups-and-downs of the in vitro process left them thinking about adoption. It involved not only hormone injections two to three times a day for Kim and a painful procedure for David , but also the disappointment that came with two failed attempts. "You just become so emotional that it becomes the main focus of your life," Kim Gorham said. When the couple first began discussing their options, Kim leaned toward in vitro and David more toward adoption. Now, said David, Kim is starting to warm up to the idea of adopting a child. "With adoption, there's a sense of guarantee," he said. "That no matter what the cost, there won't be the same disappointment." Still, there will be challenges. David suffers from heart condition, and as part of the adoption process, the couple must prove that they will be fit parents, physically and otherwise. This will mean proving they can adequately support the child. They will have to learn about the adoption laws in the foreign country and those in South Carolina. And eventually, they may have to pay as much as $20,000 in foreign adoption fees. They also will bring a child into a much better economic situation. Emma, the Thorntons' adopted daughter, once lived in a hut with a dirt floor and a dugout hole as a toilet. Her biological mother earned $3 a day doing laundry in Guatemala, and had to support two other children as well. Her mother knew she would not be able to support Emma, but knew someone else might provide a better home. Another consideration is how the relative permanence of adoption depends on where a child is adopted. If the Gorhams decide to travel abroad to find a child, they will not be burdened with the worries that often accompany adoption in the United States. Here, said Eargle, adoption is not always final. "Domestic adoption is so risky with birth mothers changing their minds," he said. "That's what people tell me, they don't want to look over their shoulder the rest of their lives. In a foreign country, when a judge gives a final decision, it can never be undone."