International Adoptions Vs. International Adoption

Adoption is the action or fact of being adopted. International adoption is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple becomes the legal and permanent parent(s) of a child who is a native of a different country. The United States has the most domestic and international adoptions each year. Most adoptions to the United States come from China, Ethiopia, and Ukraine (Top 3 Countries). International adoption, especially through Afghanistan, is a long and complicated process.

Adopting a baby can be very difficult. There are long -- and sometimes embarrassing --probes into your life and home to judge your potential ability as a parent. There are also many different types of adoption to consider. You can adopt through an agency, chose private adoption, foreign adoptions, open adoptions, or independent adoptions. Don't worry -- we'll

Furthermore, adoption is a way for children who cannot be cared for by their birth parents to become members of another family. There are two different types of adoption, Domestic and International adoption. Domestic adoption is when a child is born in a country and adopted in the same country. International adoption is when a child living in one country is adopted by a family living in a different country.“Through adoption, children’s legal ties with their birth parents are needed so they can begin a relationship approved by law with their adoptive parents.” (Adoption) Adoption helps provide children with new and permanent homes. “Each year, 130,000 children are adopted, increasingly from other countries.”(Adoption) As you can see many children have benefitted from the adoption process, 130,000 children are now happy in

The first step is a notice of the adoption proceedings that is given to all parties involved. If the child is illegitimate, which means the parents of the child were not married when he or she was born, both natural parents should be given a notice if they are able to be located. The next step is to file a petition in court that gives information about both themselves as well as the child that they wish to adopt. The petition includes the adoptive parents names, the child's name, and the natural parents names if they are known because it some cases they are not. It will also include basic information about the child such as their birthday and gender. The third step in the adoption process is written consent by the adoption agency or the natural parents that is attached to the petition turned into the court. There are certain instances where the natural parents consent is not necessary and that is when their parental rights have been involuntarily terminated. This occurs in situations where courts have found sufficient and clear evidence that there are justifications for terminating the rights and that doing so is in the best interest of the child (T.C.A). After the previous documents have been turned into the courts, a hearing is granted. During this point of the process the courts review the information to ensure the potential adoptive parents meet the qualifications necessary and will

There are two types of outside adoption, one is closed adoption and the other is open adoption. In open adoption the biological parents are given the ability to have contact with their child through the adoptive parents and share any background information needed. Likewise, the children are also given the free

Next, a couple must realize that in both international and domestic adoptions, there is a risk of the adoption not working out. In a domestic adoption, birth mothers can change their mind until they sign the legal paperwork. Each state varies on their time frames a birth mother can sign her paperwork, however most states allow the birth mother to sign 48-72 hours after the baby is born. From that point on, in most states, the birth mother cannot change her mind. In international adoptions countries can and do shut down all adoptions in their country. This means any adoptions in the process are stopped. You could be interested in adopting a certain child and it is not uncommon for the orphanage to promise this child to several agencies. The orphanage's goal is to place the children as soon as possible. On the plus side though, international adoptions are more lenient on who they let adopt. This can be a positive for many couples wanting to adopt that are not allowed to adopt domestically. Specifically, homosexual couples are welcomed in international adoptions, yet in some states are not legally allowed to adopt. Also, there are age restrictions for parents over the age of forty that do not apply for international adoption.

Many people believe that international adoptions are a positive thing, and help provide a brighter future for the children they adopt. However, many countries have strict laws on international adoptions. The article Home Alone ventures to say that, "poor countries should fix their adoption systems so that, once domestic possibilities have been exhausted, foreigners can step in" (Home Alone). International adoptions can sometimes be tricky. Many countries have constantly changing laws on international adoption. "Adoption laws change from year to year, and from country to country. Changes in intercountry adoption bans and regulations in different countries may cause unexpected challenges for prospective international adoptive parents." (Child Welfare Information Gateway). Often times many international adoptions can become corrupt. Children are sometimes smuggled across borders. "If the children travel through an official border the adult who accompanies them needs to have paperwork, but in its absence a bit of money in an envelope does the trick"

The type of adoption that is being desired to do is the first step, followed by contacting agencies and attending multiple orientations. An expensive, in depth home study is completed by a social worker, and finally the adoptive family can start to look for possible children to adopt. The family must meet the child and eventually be finalized to be able to adopt them. Next, whether the adoption is going to be an open or closed one is the next step. The cost of adoption can cost up to fifty thousand dollars because of the unnecessary steps and roadblocks that are put in place to stop the child from being put into a loving home.

International adoption takes children out of their countries, and this can lead to the risk of alienating children. Parents that adopt foreign children may be ill-equipped or uneducated in their adopted child’s culture and this can steer the loss of the child’s cultural identity. Culturally, we pass on our values and beliefs through our family structure; our heritage is part of our identity. People who are raised in another country could miss out on learning about their ethnic heritage. Medical writer Meg Brannagan claims internationally adopted children question where their place is in a

After World War II, the dissolution of European families resulted in the significant increase in the number of adoptions of foreign born children. This began America’s active participation in what is currently known as international, or intercountry, adoption. Every year for the last six decades, Americans have adopted thousands of foreign born children. It is the process by which the prospective adoptive parent adopts a child from a country other than the parent’s own, through permanent legal means, and brings that child to the parent’s country of residence to live with the parent permanently. Like domestic adoption, it is the legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from a child’s birth parents, or guardian, to a new parent.

It is not only the involvement of two families but two countries. I think before any international adoption should proceed, the adoptive parents must make the effort to know the child’s homeland. They must also demonstrate that they are willing to protect the rights of the child against any threat. I think in that way the child won’t lose part of his cultural and ethnic identity. The sending country should make sure the international adoption is the last option after visiting the other options such as extended families that might be able to take care of the child or orphanage agencies or even domestic adoption. Only after these options have been exhausted, only then international adoption should be considered. Once it is done, they need to assure the child is guaranteed to have a better future. I don’t think it should stop at a simple background check or to check if the adopters are good citizens. It should go beyond that; like take for instance the case of Carleton Gajdusek; he was an extraordinary scientist and he received a Nobel prize for his research. Given his background and how he was perceived in society, Gajdusek was given the opportunity to bring back with him in the US 56 children from New Guinea. Parents trusted the scientist and believe that he will offer those kids a higher education. However, he was later accused of molesting those kids. Shouldn’t this be a lesson to society? Therefore, I

When an individual or family decides to adopt children or a child through intercountry adoption the individuals/ families must make certain that they are following all rules and guidelines set forth by the HCIA if applicable, to the country in which the individual or family is adopting. It is equally important for the adopting country to make certain that the child is being adopted for the right reasons, however it is something that it hard to gauge as a Social Work or adoption agency. Globally Social Worker has a vast set of responsibilities as practitioners of social justice. Intercountry adoption is just one sector in which Social Workers play a vital role, in the field of Social Work this is why aiding in developing policies are so important.

This allows for people to even adopt locally or near them. This can be convenient for families to save money on traveling. Even in domestic adoption, people must travel to the place of the child’s birth and often even travel to meet the biological parents prior to the birth. This is not ideal for people who choose to adopt from another state because the cost of travel is added on to the total. However, adopting closer to home is still less expensive than adopting internationally. The requirements are also less strict for people adopting domestically. You have to prove a stable marital relationship, clean criminal record, correct age, and health to be authorized to adopt. Overall domestic adoption is less costly and has less strict of requirements for people wanting to pursue the adoption route for a child of their

At times families wish to adopt from the country of the family’s own ethnic origin, or they may be familiar with others who have successfully adopted overseas. The research also suggests that the major reason families choose to adopt international is the manner in which most international adoptions are conducted; a process that minimizes the threat that a child could be offered to potential parents and then withdrawn. International birth parents transfer their parental rights to a third-party adoption agency or orphanage before the adoptive parents get involved in the process. This may not be the case with domestic adoptions, mainly when a child is expected, but not yet born. Birth parents may change their minds about adopting out their child during the period before the adoption is finalized (Fain, n.d., http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Pros-And-Cons-Of-International-Adoption&id=533106).

There are many challenges existing in ethnic adoption. The most difficult wide gap is that cultural difference. Although the majority of people hope to remove the bad views of difference races and fuse the whole world, there still remain some preconceptions when people treat other ethnic ones. According to Leonard(2006), some ethnic minorities receive lower care than the non-minorities. In another condition which the adopted children are not their current parents’ natural sons and daughters, they may bear more pressure than the same ages’. Some children at very young age are adopted by other couples and taken to the whole strange areas to raise. Generally speaking, they can adapt in the new environment, including their