Kids' Rights: The Business of Adoption (NR)

synopsis

Adopting a child means undergoing rigorous assessment marked by bureaucracy, paperwork and, often, an outlay of cash. Filmmakers Michael Dudko and Olga Rudnieva ask themselves if they are fit for parenthood after they personally witness Sir Elton John and David Furnish's failure to adopt. Their investigation of the regulations, cultural prejudices, and child trafficking policies behind the process takes them from the slums of Ukraine, through China, and the US. They speak with prospective parents, social workers, lawyers, psychologists, and adoption agencies to find a flawed system that allows millions of orphans to languish in foster care and learn that children lack the most basic human rights.