Why are there so many babies in China?
Millions of baby girls and boys are abandoned each year in China. The Chinese government allows parents to have only one child. If the mother is found pregnant, they are fined a year's wage. If the first child is a girl, they will abandon her in a safe place with hopes of having a boy in the future. Sometimes, the couple will keep the baby girl until they have a baby boy, then abandon the first child. It's very important to have a son to carry on the family name. It is the son who takes care of his parents when they are old and will carry on the family business or farming. Thousands (95 percent girls) live in orphanages and foster homes in China. If a family already has a boy and they are pregnant with the second, they are not allowed to keep that child. If they do, they will be fined. The child will not be "registered" and will not be able to attend school or get jobs as an adult. Inasmuch as most Chinese adoptions involve girls, adopting a healthy boy is just as easy because of the one child policy. Many boys are waiting for parents to love them.