ADOPTION INTRODUCTION
Adoption can be one of the most rewarding,
yet challenging, time intensive, and at
times, exhausting experiences that you can
face. Adoption may seem like a highly
confusing and competitive process, but there
are wonderful outcomes for many parents and
children.
Fortunately, there are wonderful resources
and support networks for couples and
individuals who are interested in adopting a
child. There are adoption opportunities for
a variety of families. As well, children
are more and more frequently being adopted
from countries other than the United States.
Thus, there are more options than ever
before if you decide adoption is right for
your family.
DOMESTIC ADOPTION
Domestic adoption means
adopting from the United States, as opposed
to from abroad. The two major categories of
domestic adoptions are agency and non-agency
adoption.
In the United States,
there are both public and private agencies
that provide adoption services. Public
agency adoption services handle adoptions
through the United States foster care
system. Private agencies also contract to
provide adoption services for both infants
and older children.
Non-agency adoptions are
private adoptions handled by adoption
attorneys. These types of adoptions are
legal in most but not all fifty states.
The various types of
adoptions for a family to consider are:
- Newborn/infant
- Older child
- Adult adoption
- Foster adoption
- Kinship or relative
adoption
- Stepparent adoption
- Waiting child
adoption
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
There are more Americans
than ever before who want to adopt children,
and this has led to a reduction in the
number of children available for adoption.
Because of this, many families are choosing
to adopt children from other countries.
International adoptions have increased by
over 300 percent in the last ten years. The
five most common countries to adopt a child
from are:
- China
- Russia
- Guatemala
- South Korea
- Kazakhstan
The costs for an
international adoption can be higher than a
domestic adoption. However, the wait time
for a child can be significantly less, and
age restrictions are less stringent for
international adoptions.
FOSTER PARENTING
Foster parenting is
similar to adoptive parenting with a couple
of distinct differences. Adoptive parents
have the same parental rights and
obligations as biological parents. However,
foster parents must defer decisions to a
state or county social worker. A social
worker can remove a foster child from a
family at any time for a variety of reasons.
Though, foster children often stay months or
years in a particular family.
The foster care family was
developed in the United States to provide
protection to children who are abused,
neglected, or abandoned by their parents or
caretakers. Foster parents must be licensed,
and there is a limit to the number of
children that one family can foster.
GAY AND LESBIAN FAMILY ADOPTION
For many gay and lesbian
couples that want children, adoption is the
only choice. While the same adoption options
are open to gay couples, state laws
concerning this type of adoption are not
consistent. For this reason, many couples
choose to utilize international adoption
agencies.
There is currently much
controversy in the United States regarding
gay and lesbian adoption. However, gay men
and women have always adopted children,
though in the past they would hide their
sexual orientation. Because, gays and
lesbians are becoming more visible in
society, they are working to become accepted
as viable adoptive parents. It is estimated
that in United States, there are
approximately 5 million gay mothers and 3
million gay fathers.
