Adopting out of the country?

Question

What are the reasons for adopting internationally? I've noticed that alot lately. Is it easier/cheaper?

Answer 1

It is NOT cheaper and it is NOT easier to adopt internationally.  In fact, quite the opposite.  I think the main reasons people choose international adoption are because the wait time for a healthy infant is usually shorter than domestic adoption and the process is usually more predictable than domestic adoption (even if there is more red tape).  In domestic adoption, if you want a healthy infant, you don't know whether you'll be waiting a month or four years.  With international adoption, you usually have a pretty good idea of the wait time.  People also worry about having custody of a child before the birthparents' parental rights are terminated as it is incredibly hard on adoptive parents if a birthmother decides to parent her child.  In international adoption, the adoptive parents usually do not have custody of the child until the child is legally theirs.

Answer 2

It's probably cheaper and easier...but it's your kid not some little thing that SHOULD be cheaper or easier

As for the kids...what about all the poor children in your country who have lost parents? Why not support the poor children from your Home country instead of going around and picking up kids from random countries?

Answer 3

not sure where you live, but I live in Australia. We adopted from overseas because we were unable to have a baby. Although we didn't seriously consider local (Australian) adoption, we did ask about it. We were told that we would have at least 12 to 15 years wait and possible longer. International adoption took us about 3 1/2 years. Local adoption costs below $1000. International adoption is more often at least $20 000 or more. For infertile couples particularly, (and also couples with biological children), international adoption is a way of completing their family.

International Adoption is probably getting more publicity these days because of celebrities who are or have adopted - Angelina Jolie, Madonna, etc.

Answer 4

One of the reasons is people are fearful of the birthmother entering the picture so they adopt from other countries.

Answer 5

depends. Some agencies will charge less for countries that are really in need but then you will have to cover costs of plane tickets and gifts to go over to meet the children and then to get their paperwork done and get them back home.  It can be a very long and difficult process.  Countries like China they usually go cheaper with but the rules are very strict for that country.  You can't be overweight, single, past a certain age and must be completely healthy.  They just changed their adoption rules recently.  Some countries it is harder to work with so agencies charge more.  A local adoption through your county can be pretty much free, an adoption through an agency in the US can through some agencies be about $10,000 or more, an international adoption can in some circumstances easily go into the $50,000 or more range.  Some people just simply like the idea of helping children from other countries, some find agencies that do it for a lower price, some are of different nationalities looking to adopt from their home countries...there are many reasons people choose it just as there are many reasons people adopt locally.

Answer 6

We did it for many reasons, not the least of which when we learned that 70% of birth mothers in this country who consider relinquishing their babies for adoption change their minds.  The social worker we talked to at our agency said that they had just helped a couple adopt a baby from Alabama (we're in Wisconsin), but then added that this couple had had four previous possible adoptions fall through when the birth moms changed their minds.  We had already suffered four miscarriages, and the thought of more of "you're going to have a baby!...Wait...No, you're not; sorry" was just too much for us to face.

Additionally, most of the domestic agencies we found no longer ran a waiting list, where you might have to wait seven years, but when your turn came up, you got a baby.  Now, it seemed most places threw your information into a pool for birth parents to look through and find the one they wanted to raise their baby.  We were around 40 years of age and my husband is handicapped, so we figured the odds of a birth mom choosing us out of all the potential parents were small.  Internationally, once you do all the paperwork and pass all the qualifications, you wait your turn and have your baby.

Another consideration was the health of mom and baby.  In China, for example, the main reasons for giving up a baby are poverty and the one-child policy.  In some other countries, one of the main reasons is addiction.  We have known several people who had adoptions fall through because of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  It seemed that the odds of a healthy child were better internationally.  (Although we also know several families who have adopted handicapped children from other countries, so not everyone is as concerned about that.)

Also, the wait time for an interational adoption was generally shorter than any domestic option we saw.

The biggest factor for us personally, though, was that we felt God was leading us to adopt our daughter from China.

Answer 7

Much cheaper, usually.  China is one of the cheapest countries, and you will usually get a girl.  The cost is about half that of US adoptions.

Answer 8

It may not be so much as cheaper...Like in Guatemala you can get a infant...Start adopting from the time they are born and have them home within 4-6 month's. They keep the children in foster homes instead of orphanages. They have less restrictions on age...ect...And you are given a option of siblings in the future. Which happens alot.

Don't forget the 10,000 tax break...

And when you have time check out the

www.adoption.com  boards. Lot's of information!!!

Good-Luck :)

Answer 9

That way the adoptive parents have no chance of their childs first parents coming back into their childs lives. They want to FEEL like the ONLY parents for the child. Its easier for domestic adoptees to search.

I have a pretty good feeling that international adoption is going to begin to slow down. Korean adoptees are beginning to unite to end  international adoptions, as are mothers who surrendered from Korea and China. Guatemalan families are uniting that they don't want their children adopted internationally as well.

roflol australias adoption policies are much more ethical than that of the United States. Aparents are forced to do international adoption because the pre-birth relationships with prospective surrendering mothers is illegal, private adoption agencies are illegal and private adoptions are illegal too! Australia puts the mother/child relationship above adopter/money/child relationship like in the states so thats why many australian prospective adoptive parents are adopting overseas internationally.

what a freakin joke about the "international babies are healthier" I can't believe how ignorant that line is. And you've adopted internationally....God help your children.