| What about Domestic adoption? Thankfully, there is currently no shortage of parents wanting to adopt a healthy American baby/toddler. Most families who already have one or more biological children do not wish to compete with couples suffering with infertility issues for the domestic adoption of a healthy baby/toddler. It has been said that for every American baby/toddler available for adoption there are 5 to 6 childless couples waiting to adopt. Agencies encourage the birth parents browse the profiles of the many waiting parents to choose the family that their child will be placed with. For a family who is lucky enough to be chosen, the birthmother can still change her mind (even after non-refundable agency or attorneys fees have been paid,) leaving little legal recourse. During our Adoption orientation meeting, we listened to several couples personal accounts of "failed" adoptions and the thousands of dollars that they had lost attempting to adopt domestically. There is always that risk The Foster Care Option It is often easier for families who adopt domestically do so from the foster care system. Missouri statistics on domestic adoptions as of 2002: (from the NAIC ) 66.7% of domestically adopted children are adopted out of the foster care system by foster parents. 24.7% of domestically adopted children are adopted by relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) 8.6% of domestically adopted children are adopted by non-relative families. (See statistics for all states here) |
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| As we started to educate ourselves about adoption (in general) and learned more about the international adoption process, we became interested in the choices that other adoptive families made and why. Here is some interesting information we thought we'd share. |
| Why some families opt for International Adoption |
| There are a variety of reasons people choose to adopt internationally. One of the most compelling is the fact that foreign governments are much more flexible than the U.S. in their requirements for adoptive parents. Birth parents in the U.S. often select the adoptive parents for their children by reading profiles of waiting couples. Couples chosen are usually younger, affluent, and often childless as this is seen as an ideal family invironment for an adoptive child. Older parents, single parents or larger families are not often considered.
Reacting to frequent media stories about birth parents reclaiming their children, many adoptive parents choose international adoption because there is little likelihood of birth parents returning to claim their child. Some adoptive parents are concerned about open adoptions and the difficulty of contact with their child's birth parents. This rarely happens in international adoptions. Institutionalized children, if not adopted, will likely remain institutionalized their entire childhood. Foster care is a rare to non-existent option in most under-developed countries. These are children that will never experience the love and security of a family. Families considering international adoption often feel that the love for a child in need of a home, security, and family should have neither borders nor boundaries. |
| "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My bretheren, you did it to Me" ~ Matthew 25:40 |
| Choices in Adoption |
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| "For us the choice was simple....... We felt that the Lord was leading us to China from the very start." |