My Adoption Timeline Shows How I Was Processed for Adoption Before I Existed
The dominant adoption narrative claims that international adoption “rescues” orphaned children who would otherwise grow up in the streets or in institutions. But looking at how transnational adoption evolved, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s in Korea, it becomes clear that it was not the supply of orphaned children that dictated adoption numbers—it was the demand for babies in the West.
I have always wondered about the adoptees who arrived in the West as very young infants. We were often told that adoptive parents waited for years for a child. But if that was the case, how did so many adoptees still arrive as infants?
My own adoption timeline is a clear example of this:
- My adoptive parents applied to adopt a child from Korea a full year before I was even born.
- The adoption process was set in motion before I even existed—before my Korean mother was pregnant with me.
This has always been a nagging question at the back of my consciousness:
If transnational adoption was about finding homes for children who needed them, why were adoptive parents already in line for a child who didn’t yet exist?
The answer is uncomfortable but undeniable: The Adoption Industry evolved into something that was not about responding to a surplus of orphaned children. It was about ensuring a steady supply to meet Western demand.
My Own Adoption Timeline
Looking at my own case, the order of events is revealing—and unsettling. This timeline makes it clear that my adoption was in motion before I even existed, raising serious questions about how international adoption was structured to meet demand.
Why This Timeline Matters
This timeline isn’t just a record of my adoption—it’s evidence of how the adoption system worked.
- Before I was conceived, adoptive parents were already waiting for me.
- Before I was born, my country of adoption had already been decided.
- Before I took my first breath, my adoption was already being processed.
This was not about finding homes for existing children. This was about ensuring a constant supply of babies to meet Western demand.
Adoption should be about child welfare—not efficiency, speed, and profit.