Adopting a child benefits everyone involved: the parents whose dreams for parenthood are finally fulfilled and the child who needs a safe and happy home. For parents considering adoption, the choice between domestic and international adoption can be a difficult one to make. Although each type of adoption offers benefits, international adoption has become increasingly popular for several reasons.
Hope for Children
The situation in many countries with children eligible for international adoption is significantly different than that in the United States. Often, other countries do not have the same resources to care for orphans that are expected in the United States. Adoption for these children can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Number Available
Many children are available for adoption internationally. Babies, toddlers, older children, healthy children and special-needs children all need families. Potential parents also have a variety of countries to choose from. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most common countries for international adoption are China, Russia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Ukraine, South Korea, Vietnam and Kazakhstan.
Shorter Wait Times
The average wait time for international adoption is 12 to 18 months before bringing a child home, which is often shorter than that associated with domestic adoption. The child's country of origin as well as the child's age and gender can affect the wait time.
Set Costs
Although the costs may be higher for international adoption than for domestic, prospective parents should know and be able to plan for these costs up front as the adoption is generally a set price, and some agencies even include the expected travel expenses in the package price. However, costs can be difficult to determine beforehand with domestic adoption, as domestic adoption has different variables. For instance, in some domestic adoptions the adoptive parents pay for the medical care of the birth mother, and it is difficult to tell ahead of time what those costs will be, whether there will be any complications, if a Cesarean section will be required and so forth.
Emotional Benefits
One of the biggest fears many prospective adoptive parents have is that the birth mother will change her mind. This doesn't happen with international adoption, because to be eligible for international adoption, a child must be considered an orphan, according to Adoption.com.
Better Odds
Once a person or couple has had their home study and been approved, they will almost certainly get a child. This is not always the case with domestic adoptions, in which birth mothers sometimes change their minds or a couple that has been approved is not chosen by any birth parents.
Learning Opportunities
Adoptive parents usually must travel to their child's country of origin to pick the child up and, in some cases, make a trip before that as well to complete the paperwork and the adoption process. This travel enables the parent or parents to learn about another country and culture, which is beneficial to them as well as important for learning and understanding their child's background.
