China's One-Child Policy

China's one-child policy and the strong cultural need for families to have a healthy son create complexities for many parents in China. Traditionally, sons are responsible for carrying on the family name and for caring for their parents in their parents' old age. This is just one reason why there are more girls than boys available for international adoption in the orphanages of China.

In some cases, to overcome this difficult situation, birth parents will leave their babies in safe public places where the babies will be found quickly, with the intention that these children will be cared for and will face a better future. For many birth parents this seems to be the only viable choice, as violating China's one-child policy can mean serious penalties.