I adopted 2 children. But what I don't understand is why adopt from another country when there are so many ch

Question

I adopted 2 children. But what I don't understand is why adopt from another country when there are so many ch

Answer 1

I agree with you, but unfortunately the US makes it more difficult to adopt from within than it does to adopt internationally.  

Many adoptive parents feel that international adoption is "safer" because they do not have to worry about the biological parents changing their minds or coming to "find" the child after the adoption takes place.  When a biological parent changes their mind at the last minute, there is no "refund" to adoptive parents for the money they have spent on the adoption.  If the adoption falls through and you need to start over, you have to pay all of the fees all over again.  

Because of this, many parents will choose to do an international adoption because they are almost "guaranteed" a child after spending all of that money.  

I agree with you that we should adopt from here in our own country first, but until our government starts protecting adoptive parents more and allowing it to be less expensive to adopt, sadly people will continue to choose international adoptions.

Answer 2

Yes, there are many children available here in the United States for adoption.  However, most of them are not infants.  When someone dreams of becoming a parent for the first time, they are usually dreaming about having a small baby, so they can be part of that child's life from the very beginning, or close to it.   International adoption allows families to bring home very young children - sometimes as young as four or five months old.  That is not often possible here in the U.S.

Also, adopting children from the foster care system is often filled with heartbreak for both the prospective parents and the children involved.  Some people make a commitment to adopt a child, and when it's almost finalized, the birth parents suddenly make a last-ditch effort to get the child back, and they sometimes succeed.  In some cases, this is in the best interest of the child, but at other times it is not.  Adopting internationally allows people to avoid this kind of heartbreak.

Answer 3

It is very hard sometimes to adopt in our country. If they made it easier, I'm sure alot more people would adopt in this country.

Answer 4

Well, I personally adopted internationally because I did not want to get in the way of all the Americans that are rushing the U.S. foster care sytem to get kids.

Yeah right!

I actually went international so as not to deal with a system that places the rights and needs of crackhead moms ahead of the rights of innocent children. Yeah, let's let the baby be bounced around in foster care for 3 or 4 years so we can keep giving mom a chance to get out of jail and get off of heroin and stop hooking. I mean, it's only her 5th kid...maybe she'll get it right this time. Why let baby get adopted by loving stable parents....she should be with her birthmom. Anyone who's asking WHY not adopt in the U.S. obviously has a TON of money and went private or has had zero experience with foster to adopt.

Answer 5

I believe people adopt from other countries do to those adoptions are final and no chance of loosing the baby do to the mother changing her mind.

Answer 6

Adopting outside of the country is much faster, cheaper, and the parents are not checked for anything so it is easier. The United States checks the backgrounds of potential parents (economic status, prison records, occupation, education, etc.) which helps make sure the child gets into a good home. Why do you think that there are a lot of stories of children being adopted internationally and then sexually abused? In America if someone saw any hint of child assault or sexual offenses than they would not be considered. My parents told me how they had to take tests and have people come to see if their house was livable. Personally, I think it is better to have that type of background checks and why would they want to give a child to someone who could not properlly take care of the child?

With people who are scarred to adopt in the US because of drug addicted parents, I wonder if they think that drugs only affect Americans. I may be a little more heated on the issue, since I was from a drugged up mother and taken by social services as an infant. Luckily, my adopted parents took me and now I am in college and unlike my parents I avoid alcohol or drugs. The enviornment that a child is raised in can change the way the child views things like drugs. If I was to adopt I would do it in America because there are kids here that need help just as much as children internationally. People also don't look into adoption enough because if a person does a closed adoption it would be final and the birth parents would never have any contact unless the child at the lawful age decides to look. In adoption groups, I have found that a majority of the people are from mothers who were too young and I have yet to find another person who was taken by social services. But, at least people are adopting.

Answer 7

It seems easier and people think its quicker.

But honestly it's not.. my cousin has been waiting two years now for a baby girl from China...

The system keeps putting it off.. Was suppose to be in Sept now it might be a few months longer...

So I believe either way it seems like a long road...

Answer 8

well i want to adopt from anywhere so the kids can have a wonderful life and be happy so that can be why

Answer 9

I have heard many people say that they don't want to adopt within the states because they fear that the parents are drug abusers and don't want any mental delays or psychological problems (the rationale is that in other countries one may be forced to give up a child because of absolute poverty-the parent is starving etc., laws of the past, or fear of being banned from society or family for cultural reasons- while in the states you can get government support so a lot of mothers keep there babies unless they are terribly drugged out or unstable) Im not agreeing with this- but just hear it alot.

I think people want babies, as someone else mentioned. It is very hard to get caucasian babies as I understand. I am adopted from Korea and am blessed. My parents chose to adopt after travelling asia when my dad was in the military.  I am very very thankful and have had a wonderful life.

Answer 10

Because children here that are in our social system may not be in the best environment, but...my little brother was adopted from Brazil. My parents got him from a orphanage where each baby/ child got ONE diaper a day. They were all malnourished, were living in filth with flies and bugs all over them. When they got him home, I remember he was PETRIFIED to take a bath. He would scream and cry, thinking that they were trying to kill him or something in the water since he had never taken one before at 3 years old. Their first night at the hotel in Brazil, they ordered a family sized plate of spaghetti. The kid ate the whole d**n thing. Maybe it was the hunger, maybe it was the parasites they later discovered in his stomach. THATS why people adopt from other countries.

Answer 11

Many people who want a white child will do international adoption because it can be faster. Sometimes adopting abroad can be faster in general. The adoption process can sometimes take years. A friends and Aunt and Uncle were waiting to adopt for 8 years or more, so they finale went to Russia to adopt. I have a friend who got a child from China this past April; they started adoption process in fall of 2006.  Also though there are many children in USA that need to be adopted often times, Children in abroad have it 10X worse. The conditions of some of the Orphanages are just plan awful. Children here even if they are in the system will get an education, not the case for children abroad even more those from poorer countries.

Any child that gets adopted wherever they are from is blessed.

Answer 12

I say adopt from another country beacuse just like here, they dont have a home to go to. But children from other countries dont even get a chance to eat, sleep, or have other clothing to put on thier backs like kids out here do.

Answer 13

While a lot of times I hear the reason is the much more poverty stricken need of children in other countries compared to the United States, I'm not sure that is entirely the case.  I also hear quite frequently one of the main reasons is fear of open adoption.  The idea of dealing with culture issues seems less daunting then dealing with issues that come with open adoption (aka sharing the baby with biological relatives, versus no such obligation in many international adoptions.)

Answer 14

I was adopted at 11 years old (thank God), where as my baby brother was in the system till he was 18 years old...where he was promptly dumped on his rear, and told to take care of himself pretty much.  I totally agree with you, and there are sooo many kids who need homes...why go to another country???  Thanks for asking this question...proves to me people still care about the kids in the system in the United States of America.

Answer 15

The reason why people adopt from aboard is that many times its faster and cheaper compared to adoptions in the United States. In the US all the paper work including social security, name changes if the child is to take the last name. Everything has to be done, and conducted, however aboard the most you need to get is a social security card, passport, and birth certificate. Depending on which country can all come as cheap in US dollars. In the US its difficult and the person has to go through barriers to adopt which varies by state.  In CT my aunt kept foster childern, until she decided to adopt one of them.  The proccess was easier since she was able to report that the child remained with her over a period of five years. By this time the parents already proved that they could not care forthe child due to a drug problem that they couldn't drop. So the state legally over took the decsion to seperate the child from the parent permanetly.

Answer 16

if the u.s. is anything like the u.k. then its because its a run by left wing liberals that are extremely choosy over who should have them, in fact its getting so bad it would not even be politically correct to state what i think.

But at the end of the day does it really matter where a needy child comes from?

Answer 17

If you are a celebrity it is publicity.

A liberal, it is the touchy feely thing to do.

Poor, it is usually less expensive.

Frustrated, it is typically easier.

There are probably other reasons I am unaware of.  As far as I am concerned I would adopt from the US and I wouldn't build a school in South Africa even if I could afford it.  There are more than enough kids in the US who need a family and there are plenty of poor people here who could use some help.  Charity begins at home, if I felt differently I would find another home.

Answer 18

Children are children reguardless of where they were born.  You are right- we have a lot right here in America.  But there are children everywhere that want a mom and dad.  Seems that Americans are more likely than any other Nationality to adopt.  Some cultures dont believe in it.  My husband is Haitian and we have talked about adopting from Haiti- we can have children and we have one of our own- but we would like to help out a child from his native land as well.  It's not snooty or for publicity- its just giving love to a child.