There seems to be an app for everything. A proposed App for adopting a child is causing controversy. Someone looking to adopt will see a picture of a child and can swipe left or right just like on Tinder or some of the other dating apps. Some people find the Adoptly app is not a good way to adopt a child. The Adoptly app has not been approved yet. Kickstarter suspended funding for the project without any explanation. Another Adoptly campaign has resurfaced on Indiegogo, but the app is under review on that site. There have been many negative comments about the proposed app because it would entice users to reject children with a swipe.
What the experts say
Dr. Harvey Karp, a pediatrician and author, is firmly against the adoption app. He says that choosing a child by swiping photos can be a challenging experience for someone who really wants to adopt. By swiping to come to a child who looks good in a photo simple means that others have been rejected because they didn't take a good picture on the day the photographer showed up. Nicole Witt, Executive Director of The adoption Consultancy, says she is suspicious of the marketing information for Adoptly.
Adoptly defends its app
Co-founder Alex Nawrocki spoke out in Adoptly's defense by telling Fox News that the negative comments have come from people who don't understand that the app is indeed legitimate.
He added that the app would make adoption easier because it is actually a database from agencies with pre-approved profiles. The slogan on Adoptly's website says, "Parenthood is just a swipe away." Adoptly is not an adoption agency, and it does not directly handle any adoption cases. It acts only as a network that matches and connects clients with adoption agencies and foster care programs.
Problems with the app
Experts in the field of adoption believe the main reason the public doesn't think the adoption app will work is because the idea of swiping right to accept one child means swiping left to reject another child who is up for adoption. In the long run, who wants to tell a child that he or she was adopted via a swipe on an app?
Not every expert has rejected Adoptly. Dr. Wendy O'Connor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says she is glad someone came up with something that makes adoption a simple process. She thinks an app like Adoptly could make the adoption process faster and easier. What do you think about the idea of swiping to adopt a child?
