Where is a good place to start to adopt a newborn if I live in Illinois?

Question

I am 34 years old, my wife is 29, I am a pharmacist, and she a teacher. We have 2 children of our own already that we got the old fashioned way. We are able to have more, but I sometimes feel like there are unwanted children out there why not give one of them the family they deserve, instead of having another. We are VERY preliminary at this point, and just curious how you get started in adopting children.

Answer 1

LOOKING IN ILLINOIS LAW.

750 ILCS 50 ADOPTION ACT

50/2 WHO MAY ADOPT

50/3 WHO MAY BE ADOPTED

50/4 JURISDICTION AND VENUE

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES CONTROL ADOPTION AGENCIES AND ADOPTIONS WITH IN ILLINOIS.

Answer 2

Hi Abiogeek2,

You say why not give a child the family they deserve.  That's a good idea.  Every child does deserve a family.  

Just so you know ahead of time, there are very few "unwanted" newborns.  With most unplanned pregnancies, the women opt to raise their children themselves, so the waiting list is often years long, and the legal fees are very expensive.  

However, there are still thousands of deserving children waiting for homes right now in the foster care to adopt program.  You will find that most of them belong to one of these groups:  older children, ethnic minorities, sibling groups, or children with physical or mental challenges.  You can contact the Illinois Dept of Children & Family Services for more information.  They will require your family to complete a home study.

If you are serious about adopting, please research all you can on the subject of adoption first, including the special needs that adopted children have, as compared to the two natural children you & your wife already raised.  Most importantly, always be honest and open with your adopted child.

Good luck,

julie j

reunited adoptee

Answer 3

It sounds like you and your wife really care about the children out there who are unwanted or neglected.  Have you ever looked into foster care?  A lot of states are very short on foster homes and you can even specify that you want to be a pre adoptive home which means you get an infant who's parent(s) are most likely going to lose their rights and the baby will be up for adoption.  Or you can just do regular foster care and help many children...I don't know, just something to think about.

Answer 4

Childrens Home Society. My dad and my uncle and aunt were all adopted from there.

Answer 5

What Julie said.

There really aren't unwanted newborns out there. Seriously. Most newborns who are surrendered for adoption are VERY much wanted by their biological mothers. Many of us could have parented and wanted to parent, but were pushed into adoption by our families, unethical agencies, or the culture we grew up in. Many of us regret not fighting harder to keep our children.

So... just saying... since your motivation for adoption seems to be about giving a child who truly needs one a home (and THANK YOU for that), you would be better off checking out adopting a child from foster care. (You don't have to foster first, by the way... you can do direct-adoptive-placements through the state.)

Answer 6

I would recommend contacting a local adoption agency to discuss the available options in your area.  Our agency was able to tell us about the different types of adoptions as well as provide us with information about foster/adopt programs.  You could also contact your local Division of Children & Youth to discuss foster/adoption in detail with them.  

Good luck to you.