Bethany outlines int'l adoption process

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -  Bethany Christian Services "always talks to parents about the unknowns" involved in the international adoption process, adoption services director Kris Faasse told 24 Hour News 8. "We get a certain amount of information, but there's a lot that we don't know."

The agency spoke about general protocols and procedures Friday, but not the specifics tied to a federal lawsuit claiming Bethany deceived a Virginia couple about the child they were adopting.

Chip and Julie Harshaw said their son has fetal alcohol syndrome and other developmental problems. In the suit, the two claim they saw the potential for medical problems in the child they were adopting and they wanted to be sure the child was healthy. The parents said a Bethany employee told them a doctor associated with the agency had examined their son. But the exam never happened, Harshaw said. Target 8 reported on the suit Thursday.

The unknowns in the process, Faasse said, can differ depending on the region from which a family is adopting.

"Eastern Europe, there may be more alcohol usage during pregnancy," she said. "And so that would affect a baby so we would share that information with a family."

As far as medical testing, Faasse said there are protocols in a number of countries, "but we really can't control the quality of the testing or the amount of the testing and we really have to receive what we're given."

What agencies are given may come from an orphanage or the biological parent -- and Faasse said it's not always accurate.

In countries like Russia, where the Hershaws' child was born, Faasse said the agency has no authority to order medical tests for a child . The agency recommends parents forward any health information they receive about the child prior to adoption to a doctor who specializes in adoptions.

"We're not physicians, we're not medical experts. So we really want them to bring in their pediatrician, an international adoption specialist or another expert," Faasse said.

Even if the information is sent to an expert, will a doctor be able to see a problem such as fetal alcohol syndrome?

Psychologist Tracy Kroeger, who said she sees about 10 families dealing with the issue every year, said FAS "can be very difficult to identify unless you have a child who has severe brain damage."

"The vast majority, however, don't get identified until at least between the ages of 3 to 7 years old," said Kroeger, who works in Jenison for the firm Developmental Enhancement.

The psychologist agreed with Faasse's statement that it can be difficult to get certain information about children up for adoption. Families adopting internationally should be educated about the possible health issues their children could face, Kroeger said.

"Because in terms of the parenting efforts that are involved, it's just phenomenal," she said. "It requires just 10 times the amount of the time, the amount of effort, the amount of energy and over a much longer period in that child's life."