Who decides if an adoption is morally right?

Question

I understand the need for adoption reform. I agree that adoptees need access to all their personal information and records and believe that open adoptions should be legally enforced. People have said they agree with adoption as long as it is legal, ethical and moral. I understand legal and ethical, but who gets to decide the morality of each adoption?

Answer 1

the birth mother

Answer 2

The people involved.  The adoptive parents are being scammed for money. The natural parents are not being coerced. Coercion comes in many shades.

Answer 3

Tobit has a point. At one time adoption was almost all older kids who could serve a purpose-almost apprentices. A couple guys even hauled them across the country in trains so farmers could assess them from their value (so-called Orphan Trains although most weren't orphans). Now, we all have an obligation to make sure adoption is ethical, legal, and moral. The agencies, the APs, the birth (first, natural) parents, and the government who monitors the whole mess should all be watching for bad acts. EVERYTHING should have the singular goal of the best interest of the child. Period.

Answer 4

Do you mean each specific adoption or the general concept of adoption?

I'll take the general case and answer, "no one."  I suggest that things are either good or bad, that there is an objective standard of goodness. We can try to figure out what that standard is, but we don't create the standard.  

Example:  Infanticide was common in ancient times and considered a proper way to dispose of unwanted children.  Today we look at the practice with horror.  So what gives here?  Since some societies used it, should we say infanticide can be considered good and that it is up to each individual to decide whether they will use it?  That is a hard case to make.

If you accept this, then no one person or people decide the morality of adoption.  It is either good or bad in and of itself.

Answer 5

I think if it's a mother giving up her baby she should decide, and if it's a foster care adoption the government should be sure the new parents are suitable, and the child should be happy with it if they're old enough.

Answer 6

I would assume that the child being adopted, the biological mother/father and the adoptive parents would all have to agree that the adoption was moral,  however I do not believe all of the people involved would be experiencing the same thing.  The child's experience will be different from both his/her biological parents and adoptive parent's experiences, so then if the adoption is moral is kind of impossible to tell.  You know?

This isn't making much sense.   Something can be legal but not ethical, and I think, as a moral person, you should  make sure all your actions are as ethical as possible.

I hope I am making myself clear.  A moral adoption is an ethical one in most cases.  An ethical adoption is a moral one, in most cases.  A legal adoption, well...that can be a tricky place, because I believe that while most adoptions taking place today are legal, I do not think they are exactly ethical.  So an adoption can be legal but not ethical or moral.  But an adoption that is ethical is almost always moral.  

It's a sticky subject huh?

Answer 7

Hopefully, the adoptive parents will only adopt if they feel it is the moral and proper thing to do for them and the child.

Answer 8

The people involved.

Answer 9

The parents.  They are the ones who will end up relinquishing, so they should choose what they really believe is best.  If the child is older, then his/her feelings on it must be held in high consideration.

Answer 10

Well considering the alternative (abortion) i think adoption is fine as long as it is all legal, and the bub goes somewhere loving.

Answer 11

I dont know what morals would have to do with it.. or ethics..

one person doesnt want a baby.. another person does.. where is the morals?

Answer 12

I am not 100% sure but I think that when people say that an adoption should be moral, they are saying that the adoptive parents reasons for the adoption are good morally.  That they are not adopting to do some sort of "good deed" or to gain attention from others.  Their reasons should be that they wanted to have children and provide a loving, caring, secure and stable home for them.  That they will love and cherish this child no differently than they would a child that they themselves concieved.  Those are, I guess, what you would classify "good morals" for an adoption.    

Who would decide this?  The adoptive parents.  Whether or not the reason the child was put up for adoption is good morally is a totally different subject and irrelevant to the a-parents reason for adopting.