I’ve been touched by Americans’ big-hearted response to the earthquake in Haiti, especially the tremendous concern for children who lost family members in the disaster. The impulse to do something to lessen these children’s suffering is a beautiful thing.

One question I began hearing a lot early on was about whether adopting Haitian children is a solution. This issue arose when I was in Haiti. I did an interview about it with MSNBC on the roof of a Port-au-Prince hotel, while strong winds and passing helicopters threatened to blow over the video tent—quite a wild experience. Trying to focus, I expressed the position of World Vision and other organizations against rushed international adoptions (other than adoptions that were already in progress before the earthquake).

Past experience informs us that the chaotic period following a major disaster is when children are most vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. Haiti’s earthquake struck at the end of the work day when many children were not with their parents. It will take time to sort out which children are orphans and which are merely lost or separated from family. The best course of action now is to keep children in their home country and protect those who seem to be on their own while working to locate any surviving relatives.

People who yearn to rescue children from the midst of devastation do have wonderful intentions. They want to provide these children with a new start in a good home. It seems like the right thing to do. But the right thing at the wrong time can have unintended consequences. And we should take care to spare Haitian children any further pain. Find more information here, and please continue to pray for Haiti’s children.