Adoption

An exploratory study

1. Preface

I have always been interested in the concept adoption, because I find it very difficult and intriguing to imagine that your real parents are gone or can not raise you. But also because the adoption is something that I consider doing in the future.
When I watched a movie called ‘Instant Family’, that is about a couple suddenly adopting 3 children, I found it such a fascinating story and I really could not get it out of my head.
That is why I decided to choose adoption as subject for this study; I want to learn more about adoption.
In this essay I will be mainly focusing on adoptions in the USA and Canada.

2. Introduction

Adoption means taking something on as your own, and it also holds for human beings, children. In the case of adopting a child, it means the process of becoming a non-biological parent of the child. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parent to the non-biological parents. Filiation is the relationship between the child and their parents.

3. Different kinds of adoption

There are different kinds of adoption and also different ways to numerate them.
There are:

Closed adoptions: adoptions where no identifying information about the birth family or the adoptive family is shared and there is no contact between the families, neither the child nor his biological family.
Open adoptions: adoptions where some form of association between the biological parents, adoptive parents and the child they have adopted is provided. This can vary from sharing images and letters to phone calls, contact via a go-between or open contact. Many adoptions of older children are at least partially open, because the children may already have information about their birth family or want to stay in contact with siblings who are placed/adopted separately.

One can:

Adopt through an agency: Adoption agencies are public or private agencies managed by the state and have a permit to place children with adoptive parents. Public adoption agencies usually place children who are abandoned, orphaned or abused and live in the state. Private adoption agencies are often run by charities/social organizations and usually place children who are brought to the office by (expecting) parents who want to give their child up for adoption.
Adopt independently: This involves a direct arrangement between the biological parents and adoptive parents, sometimes with the help of a go-between such as a doctor or a member of the clergy. However, it is still a good idea for adoptive parents to hire a lawyer to handle the paperwork. These adoptions are (partially) open Not all states allow independent adoptions, and many states regulate them extensively, so check the laws of your state before deciding.
Adopt through identification: These are a combination of independent and agency adoptions. Usually the adoptive parents find a mother who wants to put her child up for adoption, and then they both ask an adoption agency to control the rest of the process. The advantage over an agency adoption is that there is no waiting list.

Usually parents adopt a child, but there are also:

Infant adoptions: There are more people who want to adopt infants than there are infants available to be adopted. Infants are very popular to adopt for several reasons: you get to go through all stages with the child, it is easier to bond if they are younger and it is like when they would have a child naturally.
Adult adoptions: Adult adoptions are rare, but most states provide them. There must be a ten-year difference between the age of the parent and the adopted adult, and they both need to show the reasons for the adoption. The primary reason why people adopt adults is to ensure inheritance rights for people they have become dear to, especially if they do not have children themselves.

All of these adoptions are legal. However, illegal adoptions also exist:

Illegal adoptions: An illegal adoption is an adoption that is done in violation of adoption laws. An illegal adoption can cause abuses such as abduction of children, the sale of children, traffic in children, and other illegal activities against children. Illegal adoption can be done in places such as the black market.

4. Prerequisites for adopting a child

The adoptive parents should be over the age of 21. In the USA there is no age cut off, but this varies per country, some set the age limit at 50. It can also be a rule that there is at least a 10-year age difference between the parent and the child.
If one or both parents have a history of a chronic illness or are currently suffering from a serious illness, a letter from their doctor is required stating that they are physically stable and able to parent until the child reaches the age of at least 16 years.
Stable emotional health is important for adoptive parents. If one or both parents have a current psychiatric illness, or if there is a history of such an illness, a professional statement is required to prove their emotional stability.
For private newborn adoptions in the USA, some adoption professionals may have a marriage There are no marriage requirements for adoption in foster care in the USA.
Any household members over the age of 18 must undergo a child abuse clearance process for every USA state. If anything is found, it will most likely prevent the adoption.
Although an income requirement is usually not specified, you must undergo an assessment to prove that you have the resources required to raise a child. The assessment will look at your income and assets, as well as proof of health insurance.
A home study will decide whether the house is a secure, safe place for a child to live.
Some states have residence requirements for adoptive parents that can vary from 60 days to 1 year.
LGBTQ+ couples and individuals can adopt in all 50 states.

There are a few more, but a lot vary between countries and states. The reason that these conditions are pretty strict, is because adoption agencies, professionals, states and countries want to make sure the child goes to a safe place. The well-being and safety of the child are so important, making all requirements necessary.

5. What is the process of adopting a child?

Usually, the process goes like this:

First, you need to choose an adoption agency in your country that is going to help you through the adoption process. Make sure to carry out your research thoroughly by calling different agencies and asking about fees, the support they offer, the children they usually place, the duration of the process etc..
Once you have chosen your adoption agency, you will need to plan your home study. A home study includes checking if you meet the requirements of chapter 4.
In the meantime, you should have already thought about the type of child you want to adopt: a baby, toddler or teenager and also considered whether you want to adopt a child with special needs.
Now, you can start looking through the waiting list of your state to find a child that you are interested in. When you have found a child, contact your caseworker who will then contact the caseworker who is representative of the child.
As soon as your caseworker informs you that you have been chosen, you will meet the child one or more times.
When you have met the child, you will complete the required paperwork and then wait for your new son or daughter to be placed at your home, which will later be followed by the completion of the adoption.

Adopting a child from a foreign country

If you are adopting from a foreign country (intercountry adoption) and the child's home country is a partner in the Hague Adoption Convention, the Hague processes of both countries must be followed.
‘The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention)’ is an international agreement to safeguard adoptions between countries. The Convention, concluded in The Hague, the Netherlands on May 29, 1993, sets international standards for practices for intercountry adoptions. United States signed in 1994 and the convention entered into force for the United States on 1 April 2008.

There are three types of laws for intercountry adoptions: US federal law, the laws of the country where the child lives and the laws of the US state where you live.

The time needed to adopt a child from another country and bring that child to the United States varies enormously: the process can take one to four years.

6. Reasons/motives for adoption

There are several reasons for someone to adopt a child:

Due to infertility; one of the parents is not able to reproduce.
To protect their health; other than infertility, if someone has conditions like heart diseases or epilepsy, it is recommended to not become pregnant.
To balance population growth; adoption is a great solution for people who think that overpopulation is a major problem, while they still want to start a family.
To choose the gender of your child; some people find it important to have a child from a specific gender, especially if they already tried once or twice and did not have a child of the gender they hoped for.
To avoid passing down genetic disorders and diseases; if the parent(s) suffer from a genetic disorder or disease or it runs in the family, it is sensible to adopt.
To avoid pregnancy complications; some women are predisposed to have difficult pregnancies or run the risk of a difficult pregnancy because of other issues.
To help a friend/family member who can not raise their child; families also adopt because they know a child in need personally.
To bring multiple races, cultures or ethnic groups into their family; the world is becoming multicultural and some people want to learn so much about new cultures, they consider bringing those in their family.
Because they are a same sex couple; homosexual or lesbian couples that want a family can not get a child naturally, so they adopt.
Because they are a single parent; someone that feels ready to become a parent, but does not have a partner, may adopt.
Because they were adopted and want to give the same experience to someone else; they know more about adoption and know more about it than people who were not adopted.
Because they know others who were adopted or have adopted, and it inspired them; they saw the process and it was something they wanted too.
They feel called to adopt, for religious or other reasons; many people choose adoption because they feel like it was something they were meant to do.

There are more reasons to adopt, but these were the most frequent reasons why people adopt. However, some people do not have a particular reason: they just want to, or it just feels really natural to do so.

7. Statement about the subject with arguments

As you might have seen in the conditions and the process of adopting, it’s pretty difficult to adopt and the conditions can be though. The opinions vary about whether this is a good thing or not: here are all arguments listed.

Statement: “A rigorous selection procedure is necessary for the well-being of the adopted child in the long term.”

Pro arguments:

Some children in adoption centres are abused or neglected in the past and the adoption agency needs to make sure that they now go to a better family.
This way, only the parents that really are ready for parenting and that are willing to spend effort in adoption remain.
You are being entrusted with someone else’s child, it’s logical that adoption is so hard.

Con arguments:

If the 'average' couple could easily afford adoption (such as in time and money), there would be no such barrier and more children could find homes.
Lots of woman get pregnant accidently, not being ready to be a mother, while still not needing to cope with any conditions at all.
Because of how complicated the conditions and processes are, some parents end up thinking they are not ‘good enough’ to adopt.

I personally think that it’s good that the procedure is so strict, because this way only the parents that are truly able to raise kids adopt a child. However, I think it should be a little less strict, because I don’t find it fair that women can get pregnant without being ready to raise a child, but women that can’t get pregnant or just want to adopt need to meet a lot of requirements.

What do you think?

8. Sources

https://www.rainbowkids.com/adoption-stories/10-reasons-why-people-adopt-1607
https://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/why-people-adopt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infertility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/adoption
http://www.adopt.org/types-adoptions
https://family.findlaw.com/adoption/the-different-types-of-adoption.html
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-adopt-babies-and-younger-kids-but-not-older-kids-and-teens
https://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/requirements_to_adopt
https://adoptionnetwork.com/requirements-to-adopt-a-child
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Adoption-Process.html
https://www.todaysparent.com/getting-pregnant/infertility/what-you-need-to-know-about-adoption-in-canada/
https://www.uscis.gov/adoption
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Adoption-Process.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Adoption-Process/how-to-adopt.html
https://oureverydaylife.com/adopt-child-united-states-2351967.html
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-hard-to-adopt-a-child
https://definitions.uslegal.com/i/illegal-adoption/

Written in August 2019