Adoption

Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a family other than the child's birth parent(s). Adoption requires the severing of parental [Page 10]rights and responsibilities of the biological parents and placing those rights and responsibilities with the adoptive parent(s). After the adoption is finalized, there is no legal difference between biological and adopted families or between biological and adopted children. As adoptive families have shared in interviews, the decision to adopt brings with it numerous issues and challenges as well as great pleasure and joy. Adopting a child of another race, ethnicity, or culture adds additional elements for which to prepare and consider. Modern adoption laws have been designed with the best interests of the children in mind—to find them homes—not the best interests of the adults who intend to adopt. This entry reviews the legal process involved in adoption, reasons for adoption, and the history of adoption in the United States.

Family with five adopted, Russian-born children. Adoption may involve crossing ethnic, racial, religious, or linguistic boundaries. Kim (adoptive father at left) and Carol (adoptive mother at right) Cormany pose on their porch with their five adopted Russian-born children. In 2000, 13% of all adopted children in the United States were foreign born.

Source: Photo by Lloyd Wolf for the Bureau of the Census.

Today, adoptions can be conducted privately between birth parents and adoptive parents, between independent agencies and individuals, and between public agencies (e.g., a state's child protective services) and individuals. Adopted persons may be infants or older children, may be adopted singly or as part of a sibling group, and may come from the local area or from other states or countries. Adoptive parents may be married couples, same-sex couples, or single adults who have no children or may parent other children. Adoptive parents have been, and continue to be, primarily U.S. and European citizens who identify as Caucasian. Guidelines as to the requirements of potential adoptive parents are provided by states, countries, and individual adoption agencies.

Adoptions occur for a number of reasons. Many children are placed for adoption because their biological parents decide that they are unable to care for them adequately. In some countries, where single motherhood is considered as scandalous or unacceptable, a woman in this situation may make an adoption plan for her infant, whereas others may come under financial, societal, religious, or familial pressure to choose adoption for their children. In some cases, children are abandoned at orphanages so that they can be safely placed for adoption. Some biological parents involuntarily lose their parental rights; this usually occurs when the child is placed in foster care due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Eventually, if the birth parents cannot resolve the problems that caused or contributed to the harm of their child, a court may terminate their parental rights and the child may become available for adoption. Kinship Care is a program designed to help support children who reside outside of their own homes by placing them with relatives. This supports the concept that children residing with family members, rather than in foster homes, may alleviate family stress or temporary familial problems.

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