Jamus discusses the issue of adoption.
6 hrs ·
As most of us are aware, Singaporeans aren’t having enough babies. Our fertility rate has plummeted in recent decades, to a little more than 1 child per family. This means—among other things—that we are setting ourselves up for a shrinking workforce. We’re also not unique. Fertility has also collapsed in other wealthy Asian economies, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan. Their governments, like ours, have policies in place to encourage childbirth. There are many reasons for this.
The high cost of raising kids, the enormous pressure our students face, long waits for matrimonial homes, and later marriages as we prioritize careers all contribute. For couples that start families later—for whatever reason—biological limits can come into play. That’s why some countries (including us) have chosen to subsidize fertility treatments. In the most recent Parliamentary sitting, the House also revised adoption laws.
Adoption can raise fascinating philosophical questions, like the belief in blood-being-thicker-than-water. I’ve never agreed with this sentiment; after all, the person I’m closest to in this world (my wife) isn’t biologically related to me. But I love her all the same. Bonds are built by the investment of time, and shared experiences. Any forever parent will readily explain that they love their adopted kids unreservedly. So I believe that our laws should encourage such acts of love. While many of the revisions in the bill were excellent, I spoke on a number of additional concerns I had about the adoption process, based on extensive discussions with adoptive parents, and those in the industry.
One concern was how, post-COVID-19, the process had become drawn out, with the dependent pass issued for 21 months instead of the former 9. While this accommodates pandemic-related delays, it can also encourage complacency. Another concern had to do with how adoptive parents could not access all the usual benefits that birth parents could, like being able to purchase health insurance for the child before the adoption process was complete. Imagine taking a baby to A&E without coverage.
A third had to do with how the court could essentially mandate counseling for adoptive parents indefinitely. I felt this was unfair; after a transition period, we should rely on other laws for dealing with parental neglect that do not discriminate between the two types. Finally, I felt that more could be done to keep private adoption agencies accountable. Right now, adoptions are treated as an exchange between private individuals. Frequent violators don’t face a risk of being permanently disbarred from the business.
Adoption should be a win-win-win process: biological parents who are unable to raise a child aren’t burdened; adoptive parents fulfill the dreams of parenthood; and a child gets a shot at life within a loving family. Our country also wins, as we create more happy families and happy children that will be the next generation to fly our nation’s flag high, and carry our values into the future.
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