Ninos and Ninas, Inc. is an adoption agency in Massachusetts that specializes in speedy adoptions of poor Hispanic-American infants. These poor infants, if not adopted, would end up abandoned on the street or malnourished in orphanages because their mothers cannot afford to care for them. The adoption fee charged by the agency is $15,000. Linda and Andrew have been accepted for adoption by the agency with a deposit of $10,000.
Soon thereafter, Carmen, the agency’s director of adoption services, informs Linda and Andrew that a baby girl is now available. She instructs them to place in a post office box the final $5,000 fee payment and an additional, separate $2,500 in cash in an envelop, marking the envelop with cash for “Senior Jose.” Carmen further explains that once they have paid the $5,000 adoption fee balance and additional cash payment, they can come to the agency the next day to pick up the little girl. When Linda questions the additional odd cash payment, Carmen tells her Senior Jose is an official in the social agency who handles adoptions and it is the way Ninos and Ninas Inc. has been doing business for 10 years.
How would you characterize the additional cash payment and does the adoption benefit to the infant girl justify the method for accomplishing that benefit? If you were Linda, would you go forward with the adoption? What ethical and/or moral theories would help in your decision?