Americans who wish to adopt a child can choose between domestic and international programs that now have a long and successful history of helping to create new families. There are many similarities and many differences between domestic and international adoption programs. Prospective parents must consider them all and decide what is right for their family.
History
The legal adoption of American children began in the 19th century, when individual states began to pass adoption laws. By the mid-20th century, almost every state had laws and requirements in place. Around the same time, after World War II, adoption of children from Germany and Korea became possible. As more and more families became interested in adoption, fewer American children were available, and many prospective parents turned to international adoption. Today, children of many different ages, races and ethnicities are adopted from within the United States and from countries around the world.
Management
Legal domestic adoption of American children is facilitated through the state foster care system or by private arrangement through an accredited adoption agency or adoption attorney. All international adoptions, regardless of the child's country of origin, are handled by adoption agencies. The actual process varies, depending on the rules and requirements of the individual country.
Types
Children under 1 year old up through the teen years are available through both the domestic foster care system and international adoption programs. Parents seeking to adopt a newborn, or nearly newborn child, generally hire an adoption attorney and use classified ads to advertise their availability as parents.
Many different countries in Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have participated in the past and continue to be involved in intercountry adoption programs. Depending on the country involved, either the parents travel to the country to adopt the child or the child is escorted to the United States.
Criteria
In domestic adoptions, states and counties have laws and and individual agencies have policies that establish criteria to determine who is eligible to adopt a child and how the process is to be carried out. Birth parents may also play a role in determining who can adopt their child. In the case of international adoption, each country has its own laws, guidelines and criteria. Age, gender, marital status, medical history and financial ability are some of the criteria used to determine the eligibility of an adoptive parent.
Features
Some features are the same for both domestic and international adoption programs. All adoptions begin with a home study, which is how agencies involved gather information about the prospective parents and at the same time prepare parents for the adoption process. A social worker interview and report is part of the home study process. In the case of independent domestic adoption, prospective parents generally pay the birth mother's medical expenses and sometimes help out with general living expenses. A variety of fees are involved to adoption agencies and their affiliates, government agencies and legal representatives and institutions. In addition to separate government and agency fees in another country, the cost of travel and accommodations must be considered in most international adoptions.
