Domestic Adoption Essay

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Pages: 9
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Victoria Allen
Dr. Hart
ENG 111
13 September 2012
Domestic Adoption: How to Become a Child’s Hero According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 114,562 American children were in foster care awaiting adoption in 2009(2). Children that are taken from their parents for any number of reasons all share one common desire: to find a forever home with a family that loves them unconditionally. Even newborns that never have the chance to meet or bond with their birth parents enter this world requiring constant love and attention from a nurturing adult. When a birth parent cannot fulfill the duties of parenting, other arrangements must be made. Domestic adoption is a beneficial solution for an individual or couples looking to add a child to their families. Although the outcome is extremely gratifying and rewarding, adopting a child can evolve into a long and sometimes discouraging procedure. When a family contemplates the idea, they hire an attorney, work with a caseworker representing the agency of their choice, and test their patience to great extents to unite a parent-less child with a home full of people ready to flood them with lifelong love and affection. The cause for adoption varies; a couple who failed trying to conceive naturally or suffered failed infertility treatments, as well as the possibility of a single professional adult who wants a child, but lacks a spouse to assist in natural conception. Regardless of a person’s reasoning, if a family chooses to adopt domestically, they give a child a second chance at having a fulfilling life. Before the adoption process can begin, the family needs to decide if adoption is a viable solution. What caused them to consider adoption? If failed infertility treatments brought the couple to contemplate adoption, it is important to make a healthy mental transition from infertility and fully accept adding to your family through adoption. This commitment to adoption allows you to let go of the dream of having a child biologically so you can fully embrace the dream of having a child through adoption (“The Domestic Adoption”). Families need to consider the difficulties that may arise in the future, such as complications during the adoption waiting period, the possibility of the birth parents wanting the child back, and questions that adopted children might have as they mature. After a family elects to move forward with the adoption process, the parents-to-be need to decide what type of child they can provide the best home for. What age of child does the family hope to adopt? An over-abundance of toddlers, school-age, and teenage children reside in foster care in the US, waiting for the day their social worker calls with the answer to their prayers: a family wanting to adopt. If the family decides to adopt a child in foster care, they proceed with adoption through a public government agency. These children are often overlooked and lost in a sea of orphans, though, since majority of adoption scenarios involve a family preferring to bring home a newborn baby. If the potential parents choose to adopt a newborn, the type of adoption they wish to participate in requires their attention next. Open, semi-open, and closed are the three methods of adopting a newborn baby. In an open adoption, the birthparents and the adoptive family contact one another through e-mail, mail, phone calls, and visits prior the adoption and after birth. On occasion, the birth parents invite the adoptive family to attend the birth. Families and birthparents may see a reduction in fear if they opt for an open adoption. “When there is regular communication with the adoptive family both prior to the birth and after the adoption, it tends to diminish concerns about the well being of the child,” states The American Pregnancy Association. Semi-open adoption tends to provide a little more privacy for both parties, where contact mainly occurs through a third party, such as
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