What will adoption in the US be like in 10 -or- 20 years?

Question

Not what you WANT it to be like, but what do you think it WILL be like?

(Unless you're confident enough that those two are one in the same!)

Answer 1

It would be great if money wasn't an issue, but I'm sure it will be the exact same as it is now...unfortunately :(

Answer 2

I really think it will be improved..

Just like the awful, unethical practices of the Baby Scoop Era are  not going on now (to that degree, in the same way)  I think some of the unethical practices in adoption today will be solved in a few years..

At least I'd like to think so..

Answer 3

I don't think it will change very much.

In terms of reforms, perhaps some states might make changes like open records.  But, these will be individual states and small changes, no sweeping reforms.

In terms of changing laws to better regulate private adoptions, the problem is that too much money is involved.  These organizations will use their lobbyists to make sure the laws don't change.  Plus, the current political trend is to decrease oversight, not tighten it, and that will have to change as well.

In terms of improving foster care.  One problem is that most CPS and similar state agencies are underfunded and understaffed.  This basically means that they cannot put in effort to make improvements because all of their energy is going into just getting the job done.

Answer 4

I think that it is going to get better as far as placing children in the correct environment. Life is just different now then it was 20 yrs ago. there are more open minded people then there was then. alot of people want to help and make a difference. and alot of people can have kids but want to not bring children into this world with out caring for the children that are already here. This could just be how I feel but I feel strong in saying we as people are becoming more loving with kids that are not ours! and this is great!

  before it would be once you place your child for adoption that's it. now you can have contact with the child if the adoptive parents are willing and it is set up that way. W

Can I ask how you feel it is going to be like? If not I understand just wondering. I love this question. I want to see what others have to say!

Answer 5

It could go two ways:

The first is that everyone will want to adopt and the orphanages will be almost completely empty.

The second is that no one will want to adopt and the orphanages will be packed. Poor kids....

Personally, when I get married if my husband and I decide we want kids, I'll want to adopt them.

Answer 6

Non-existant if people keep aborting.

Answer 7

Adoption won't change. And I don't mean minor changes. There will always be children without parents.

Answer 8

Put aside Einstein's theory of special relativity that says we can travel forward in time but not back......

Time travel adoptions.

The Ancient Romans participated in a practice of "exposing" their unwanted children. Exposing simply meant that a child was exposed to the elements and the gods decided whether they lived or died. Someone may come along and take the child OR the child would succumb to the elements or worse.

Even though methods of birth control existed in ancient times they were not always widely available. Newborns were exposed for many reasons, deformity, disease, financial or simply for being the wrong s*x. These practices were justified by the Ancient Romain's because they did not believe a newborn had a soul, until about thirty days after birth, therefore they were not really human beings yet.

Facilitators would travel back in time...identify a newborn...watch it's death....travel fourth in time to see if the remains were ever documneted. Then okay an adoption. Thus preventing a time paradox.

Being that the children would never have been exposed to the same disease we have overcome in the thousands of years since it is unlikely they would ever survive.  

If it was ever possible......someone WILL exploit it.

Answer 9

Yesterday I posted a question asking about the adoption attitudes/feelings for those adoptee's raised in an unrestricted open adoption  plan. Because of the relatively new concept of open adoption there obviously is little to no input from adult adoptee's.

As long as adoption has to happen I think that future adult adoptee's raised in open adoption will be less frustrated in terms of their identity and adoption circumstances.

I also think that progress will be made for adoptees  rights to obtain their records. This alone I think will help to create some positive change. For instance bio moms will think twice before relinquishing and adoptive parents will have to accept bio parent information for their adopted child. I also think it will be the beginning of ethical reform where needed and erase the stigma of shame and secrecy attached to adoption by general society.

I do want this and I do think it's realistic to happen in the next 10-20 years if not before.

ETA: Not all bio mom's want contact or open adoption. I think some will consider parenting.

ETA2: I re-read your additional comment. I hope you don't think that I meant bio mom's don't make a tough decsion. All I mean is for those bio mom's who find contact difficult, open records might help them to reconsider relinquishing. Hope I was clear.