Picture a child without a stable, loving family, most likely moving from foster home to foster home. They don't know when the next time their life will be uprooted again. Even worse, this is the reality for thousands of children throughout the world. The adoption system is supposed to place these children with a forever family. However, complicated adoption processes may prevent potential adoption of orphan children, thus jeopardizing their chances of a stable, successful future.
“Many adoptive parents are deeply troubled by the vast sums of money they pay” (Clark and Shute). To begin the process of adopting, potential adopters must pay an average of about $2,000 to conduct a home study. They must also pay for document preparation, averaging
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Currently, there is no refund available for a failed adoption. In 1920, 20% of adopters lost money due to a change of mind or a con (Clark and Shute). Disruption rates in the U.S. have been consistently ranging from 10 to 25 percent. “The term disruption is used to describe an adoption process that ends after the child is placed in an adoptive home and before the adoption is legally finalized” (Sappenfield et al. 1). Many adopters may be choosing to adopt due to infertility, already causing them to experience grief, feelings of guilt, and possible shame. “Couples and individuals who turn to adoption because of infertility may have already weathered an emotional roller coaster” (“The Impact of Adoption” 3). The lack of refund and vulnerability of the adopters not only makes this process very hard to endure, but makes them an easy target to be taken advantage of. “There are at least two former birth mothers in prison for promising their unborn children to several families at once and collecting living expenses from all of them”. There have been other reports of adoption brokers doing this as well:
The infamous Internet twins case showed just how cutthroat the wild frontier of adoption can be. California facilitator Tina Johnson allegedly took $6,000 for placing the twins with a California couple, then turned the children over to a British couple for $12,000. The Britons whisked the children from California to Arkansas to take advantage of discrepancies in state laws and hurried them out of the country. The children are now in foster care in England while authorities sort out the sordid mess. (Clark and
4). In the scope of adoption, it is evident that child welfare agencies use the majority of their available resources for placing children in foster families, investigating child-abuse cases, and providing other family services. “As a consequence, they do not possess adequate additional resources for efficiently placing children in adoptive homes once they are available for adoption, depriving many children of the benefits a stable, permanent home provides” (Snell, 2000, p. 2). The current government operated child welfare system is detrimental to the children involved due to its inability to ensure their safety and
`Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in or a part of the adoption process? Most people have different opinions on the whole system. Many think that the process is easy and they don’t actually know what most children go through. If more people understood the problems they face then child welfare wouldn’t be so difficult. Children come from broken or abusive households where treatment is horrible or to the point where they just remove the children.
Even if you receive some type of assistance, you are still eligible to adopt as long as you have an adequate resources to provide for your family” (Adoption). The other requirements are to be expected: interviews, personal history, background check, and references.
Should adopting a child be free? As a first response, many people would answer “Yes, adoption should be free,” arguing that there should not be a price tag on children, or that adoption is unreasonably expensive. Others may argue that “No, it should not be free,” because it may unknowingly put the adoptees at risk for danger, while the children are easily accessible. Adoptions were created to give children, whose biological parents could not care for them, a new and affectionate home, and for couples who wanted children, but could not have them biologically because of health reasons. Today, many people adopt children to add on to their family. With adoption being free, many “unfit” people would qualify to be
Which all depends on how much the lawyer decides to charge you. Additional to the first two requirements, you have to pay the medical bills for the mother and baby, which can range from 4,000 up to 15,000 dollars depending on the mother’s health and the health of the baby (Horin). When all the costs add up the total price is not cheap and an average adoptive parent might need help financially.
Adopting children from other countries like Russia isn’t and will never be easy because of costs and sometimes the country itself doesn’t want to allow you to adopt an orphan. Russia banned America from adopting Russian children because of money. Russia did this because they didn’t
The adoptive parents might realize that they aren’t ready to be parents and that leaves the child once again feeling rejected and unwanted. In a article it explains what they think the adoptive child should know, “Children need to know their adoption story. They need to learn that they were not in any way the cause or the reason for their parents ' relinquishing them. Some questions that teens wonder: Why did they give me away? Was there something wrong with me? Did they give me away because they did drugs or abused me? What does that say about me? Why couldn 't they work things out and taken care of me? Even with shows today like Teen Moms and Secret Life of the American Teenager, they are reminded that many young and struggling parents figure out a way to make it work to keep their baby, so why couldn 't their parents do the same as they see on TV? This may lead to further issues of feeling rejected and unlovable.” (The… 2). Adoption can also cause a feeling of loss that is unlike other losses like death, divorce, and any others. Dr. David M. Brodzinsky and Dr. Marshall D. Schechter said, “The loss for the adoptee is unlike other losses we have come to expect in a lifetime, such as death and divorce. Adoption is more pervasive, less socially recognized, and more profound." (Brodzinsky… 3).
Some people believe that the price of adoption should not be lowered. They believe that with all the costs it helps keep the bad people from getting ahold of the children. The authorities need to make sure people will be good parents and would not be abusive or not able to provide for the child (WIASE?). This shows that the authorities are taking extra precaution with who they allow adopt a child. Also, the cost goes towards many court fees to make sure that child becomes fully and legally your child and it gives you a peace of mind (WIASE?). This shows that when you pay all that money you are paying so many different places, so that you know in the end that child is fully your child.
Adoption is a beautiful system that allows for families to raise a child that could have otherwise been in bad situations. These children are taken in by a family and are given a fresh start. Children can be adopted from birth until they are eighteen years old, but thousands of these children in need are not given the opportunity of adoption because of the extravagant cost. An adoption ranges anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 and because of this Adopt Together says, “Cost is the number one reason families don’t adopt.” There is a long list of fees that rack up the price that include legal fees, home studies, agency cost, and many more. The extravagant cost of adoption can and should be lowered in order that more families can provide a loving home to children in need.
The issue with adoption is the financial challenges with orphanages, foster homes and parents who want to adopt but cannot. Many changes need to be made when it comes to the adoption system. Adoption is a social justice issue because so much money is going to orphanages and foster parents when it could be used for other things, such as helping people who want to adopt but cannot. The cost of adopting should be lowered to have more adoptions and fewer people to pay. Adoption regulations should be changed considering the long process and money it takes to adopt and the process doesn’t always let people become parents.
The necessity of adoption in the world is astounding. Currently, there is an estimated 143 million orphans worldwide (Wingert, vol.151). As of 2007, there were 513,000 children living in foster care within the United States alone (Rousseau 21:14). International adoption in the United States was jumpstarted post World War II as a way of helping those children who were left homeless, after war had taken their parents. Although there are thousands of healthy children awaiting adoption in the United States, several American couples still turn to foreign adoption when seeking potential children. Americans often fail to realize the need for intervention within their own country and their duty to take care of domestic affairs before venturing to
Moreover, there is a strategic interview and background check on those who wish to adopt. We do not let just anyone adopt a child, nor do we go without checking up on his or her history to predict the likelihood of that person being a good candidate for a parent. There are forms to be filled out, house inspection, and an overview of their income to make sure they are suitable to take in and care for this child. According to a study published by the Child Welfare League of America, despite
When a couple or individual decides to adopt a child, they know they are going to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s child. Due to the biological parent(s) who can’t take care of that child anymore, because of either drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abuse to the child or if the parent(s) had died and there is no other care for the child. So that’s why this gives other couples who cannot have kids, the opportunity to promise themselves to be a great parent to a child in need. Though there are some bad things about adoption as well. Like adopting a child from another country of another race, because once that child is adopted into an American family, he or she will be cut off from their culture and never know about their
Since 1776, the United States of America has had a growing problem with orphans and childhood adoption. Orphanages become overpopulated while foster homes shelter up to 3 children on average. The foster care system has been viewed as positive reinforcement for American homes; yet the point of fostering children is consistently overlooked. Adoption is necessary for orphans, foster children, or children in abusive homes. The act of adopting a child comes with positive benefits and fiscal responsibility, such as government assistance and wiser spending. Children obtain a healthy childhood with a familiar sense of belonging. The drawback of this is the long governmental process of petitioning for adoption. Seeking the birthparents, if they are alive, retrieving consent, being fiscally responsible, and having a safe environment for the child to grow up in are all responsibilities to look forward to when adopting a child. The adoption rate in the United States of America needs to increase dramatically, as there are social benefits, mental health improvements, and economical advantages for families who adopt.
Even though adoption as a process has negative results for adopting children, some people still takes this act to be a good act where children who are deprived of parents still have a