The definition of Adoption is to legally take by choice an infant or older child into a relationship. With adoption the birth parents are legally severed from their child and all responsibilities and rights are transferred to the adoptive parents. There are different types of adoptions: open or closed, the location and/or origin of the child (i.e. domestic or international). On the other hand, people who place their child for adoption usually cannot provide adequate care and have determined that adoption is the best option for their child.
Adoptions occur for many reasons, the number one being infertility. Other reasons are to avoid contributing to perceived overpopulation or passing on a inheritable disease, such as Tay-Sachs disease.
It has been said that parents who adopt may invest more time in their children than others and, therefore, enrich their children's lives to compensate for the lack of biological ties.
There are usually eligibility requirements to consider:
· Minimum and maximum age limits
· Single person or couple
· Same sex couple
The potential adoptive parent(s) will be assessed for suitability by an independent or state authority, or by the adoption agency:
· In a home study
· Interviews
· Financial situation
· Medical records
· Criminal record checks
Most people look for infants and not older children. As a result, adoption agencies look for families who are interested in adopting older children and children with "special needs (medical or mental health problems, behavioral problems and learning disabilities)." The adoption fees for adopting a special needs child are usually waived or reduced.
Certain jurisdictions prohibit same sex couples from adopting children; however, other countries, such as Australia, Iceland, Sweden, Spain, England and Canada allow adoption by same sex couples.
Adoption costs vary between countries. In many countries, it is illegal to charge for an adoption. On the other some programs will give financial assistance to adoptive parents. Some jurisdictions offer tax credits; in the United States it is $10,390. When going through the child welfare system, there are no charges other than minor legal fees. When adopting through the foster care system, families can receive yearly reimbursements for educational as well as have Medicaid coverage for the adopted children. This applies to Canada.
With an open adoption the adoptive parents and the child are allowed to interact directly with the biological family. This can happen through letters, emails, telephone calls, or visits. With an open adoption, questions like “Who do I look like? Why was I placed for adoption?” can be answered. There are also pros to this kind of adoption, such as not being able to settle in to a new family, feelings of rejection if contact stops and comparing the two families against each other.
In a semi-open adoption, the parents involved may meet one or several times and then have no more physical contact. Correspondence, including non- identifying letters and pictures may be exchanged through a third party.
In some closed adoptions, the families can exchange information such as medical history before the adoption is final. Once the adoption is final, no further communication should take place. In other cases, no information is shared.
Today, within 10 days of the birth, unwanted infants are allowed to be left at a hospital, fire department or police station. No questions are asked.
A domestic adoption is the placement of a child within the country in which he or she was born.
Foster care adoption is where the child is placed into a foster care system while awaiting to be adopted. Children may be placed into foster care because of neglect or abuse from the birth parents. Oftentimes, the foster parents will end up legally adopting the children.
Children with histories of neglect or abuse are at risk of developing psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety and acting-out symptoms.
An intra-family adoption occurs when a child is adopted by an existing close family member and/or his or her partner. An example is a when a step parents legally adopts a child from the parent's previous relationship. It also occurs as a result of a parent’s death and a family member agrees to take over.
International adoption is the placing of a child for adoption outside that child’s country of birth. The laws of different countries are different. Countries like Vietnam or China have relatively well-established rules and procedures, while the United Arab Emirates forbid it. Romania will only allow close relatives (grandparents) to adopt children.