美国的领养进入网络时代

 　　GWEN IFILL: Now adoption¹ in America in the age of the Web.

　　A new series of investigative reports published this week is raising serious questions about how some adoptive parents who seek help online are encountering unintended consequences.

　　Jeffrey Brown has our look.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: The stories focus on how some parents are using the Internet to turn over their adopted children to new families after finding they're having problems raising the children, in a practice called private re-homing.

　　The investigation² by Reuters titled "The Child Exchange" documents cases in which the transfer began on online bulletin boards and led to instances of neglect and abuse and were carried out in a largely unregulated environment.

　　Megan Twohey spent 18 months working on the investigation for Reuters.

　　Also joining us now is Adam Pertman, executive director of the Donaldson Adoption Institute, a national nonprofit that focuses on adoption research and policy.

　　He's also the author of the book "Adoption Nation."

　　Well, Megan, Megan Twohey, some background first so we understand this.

　　Why are parents giving up their adopted children? And how are they doing it?

　　MEGAN TWOHEY, Reuters: Well, that's a good question.

　　I spoke⁴ to many adoptive parents for this 18-month project who had gone on the Internet and solicited⁶ new families for their unwanted adopted children.

　　And the reasons that they turned to this largely underground network were three-fold.

　　One, they said that they didn't feel like they had received proper training going into their adoptions⁷.

　　Two, they didn't feel like they -- the issues that the children that they adopted came to them with, emotional and behavioral problems that hadn't been disclosed, and when the adoption went south, the adoption agency wouldn't help them.

　　And in some -- in other instances, they would go -- when they turned to the states, the government child welfare system, for help, they didn't get -- they didn't get any assistance.

　　In fact, they were often told that if they wanted to relinquish⁸ their child to the state foster care system, they could face charges of abuse and neglect and put other children in their home in jeopardy⁹.

　　So, they often -- it was a very common theme that these parents felt desperate and they felt like this underground online network was their only option.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And so in this private system, you show how this can be done we a simple power of attorney and you show that, in some cases, it led to some serious neglect and abuse.

　　MEGAN TWOHEY: That's right.

　　So, it's important to realize that when parents go into this sort of online re-homing network -- and we found these are Yahoo! -- these have been Yahoo!

　　groups and Facebook groups where people go to solicit⁵ new families for their unwanted adopted children, and oftentimes they transfer these children over to strangers with nothing more than a power of attorney, a simple slip of paper that you can download from the Internet and get notarized that says you're placing this child in the hands of another adult, and they're now in their custody¹⁰.

　　There's no child welfare officials involved.

　　There is no court system monitoring that and vetting¹¹ the person who is taking the child.

　　And so we found multiple cases where people who had criminal backgrounds, histories of abuse and neglect, obtained children in this manner.

　　And bad things happened to those kids.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: All right, so, Adam Pertman, help us place the context here.

　　You read these articles. Are these worst-case scenarios¹³, a handful of cases?

　　What kinds of questions do they raise for people in your -- in -- where you sit?

　　ADAM PERTMAN, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute: Well, from where I sit, it's so appalling¹⁴ that it's hard to even look straight at anybody and say anything that is vaguely¹⁵ positive, except that maybe these parents, who certainly are feeling they're in dire³ straits, certainly are feeling as though it's theirlast resort, at least they are looking for a home for the kid.

　　But, that said, this is really over every ethical¹⁶ line, every good practice line, over every line we couldpossibly draw.

　　Parents have to be vetted¹⁷. Children have to be cared for. The answer to your question, no, this doesn't appear to be a big, prevalent problem.

　　These are the worst-case scenarios, but it's not just a handful.

　　And what it really does is shine a very bright light on two much more pervasive¹⁸ and bigger problems.

　　We have to deal with this one, no question, but the Internet is opening up so many possibilities in the world of adoption.

　　We published a report last year called "Untangling the Web" in which we talk about a whole slew¹⁹ of these. And this certainly is one.

　　We didn't talk about this one, by the way. We didn't know about this one. But there are many, many untoward²⁰ practices that are occurring because no one is paying attention, just like in this case.

　　And it really shines another bright light on the need for adoption -- post-adoption services for families.

　　If there are families that are so distraught, that they would think to do something like this, then what about all the other families who wouldn't think to do it, but need help, too?

　　We are not providing those services to help families succeed.

　　And if we looked at those two big issues, the Internet and post-adoption services, I think we would go a long way to solving problems like this, but we also have to address this very, very singularly and specifically.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And, Megan, just to pick up on this, because you were looking at these cases existing, asyou said, in -- I think you used the word a largely lawless marketplace, what kind of oversight²¹ is there incases like this?

　　MEGAN TWOHEY: Well, that's a good question.

　　And I would like to point out, going back to your last question about how frequently is this happening, I mean, that is a great question.

　　And the answer is that nobody in the United States government can tell you the answer to that question.

　　There's nobody here in the United States who is trying to track what happens to these children.

　　There's no law that recognizes that re-homing is taking place, let alone tries to regulate it.

　　And so you're left with basically kind of a patchwork²² of state laws.

　　You know, in certain states, it's illegal to go online and offer your child up for adoption.

　　You have to be a licensed²³ child placement agency to do that kind of advertising²⁴.

　　In other states, you don't.

　　There's different laws that govern adoptions and granting of guardianship²⁵.

　　But, for the most part, this has been largely a lawless world, and where there is no government oversight and nobody here in the United States trying to track that.

　　And so you can't say -- nobody in the government can tell you how often this is happening. But, at Reuters, we have spent a lot of time, 18 months looking at the online forums²⁶ in which people were going to advertise their unwanted adoptive kids.

　　We did a deep dive on a single Yahoo!

　　group where this re-homing was popular.

　　And we found that -- we tracked the activity over five years.

　　We have built a database, and we found that a child was being offered up on a single Yahoo!

　　group on average once a week.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Well, so, Adam Pertman, we just have a minute left, but given that scenario¹² for these kindsof cases, but even the more general instances, what should be done in terms of oversight and regulation?

　　ADAM PERTMAN: Well, that's not to be decided²⁷.

　　I mean, as Megan said, we don't have the laws. We don't have the practices.

　　We don't have the monitoring.

　　What we need to do is immediately understand that something has to be done, and we need to convene²⁸ law enforcement officials, legislators, because it is a patchwork.

　　And unless it's done in a coordinated²⁹ fashion, we're not going to nail this one.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And just real briefly³⁰, is there resistance to that? Is there -- why doesn't that happen?

　　ADAM PERTMAN: I cannot -- it didn't happen -- it hasn't happened because we didn't know.

　　I mean, this is a big -- a big kudo for journalism³¹. I mean, we learned something from this series, and nowwe have to do something about it.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: All right, shining a light on these cases.

　　Megan Twohey, thanks so much.

　　And, Adam Pertman, thank you.

　　MEGAN TWOHEY: My pleasure.

　　ADAM PERTMAN: My pleasure.

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

6 solicited   

v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• He's already solicited their support on health care reform. 他已就医疗改革问题请求他们的支持。 来自辞典例句
• We solicited ideas from Princeton University graduates and under graduates. 我们从普林斯顿大学的毕业生与大学生中征求意见。 来自辞典例句

7 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

8 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

9 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

10 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

11 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

12 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

13 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

14 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

15 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

16 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

17 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

18 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

19 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

20 untoward   

adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的

参考例句：

• Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.有些不幸的事件使我不能在这欢庆的时刻和你在一起。
• I'll come if nothing untoward happens.我要是没有特殊情况一定来。

21 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

22 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。

23 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

24 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

25 guardianship   

n. 监护, 保护, 守护

参考例句：

• They had to employ the English language in face of the jealous guardianship of Britain. 他们不得不在英国疑忌重重的监护下使用英文。
• You want Marion to set aside her legal guardianship and give you Honoria. 你要马丽恩放弃她的法定监护人资格，把霍诺丽娅交给你。

26 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

27 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

28 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

29 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

30 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

31 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。