“It’s the last suit you’ll ever wear.”
Anybody? Anybody?
That’s right. Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black. He was talking to Will Smith’s character about the suit he would wear on the job for the rest of his life. Will Smith would return the line in MIB2 in which he adds “again”.
But there will be no Men in Black 2 for the Look through the Lens blogs. This is really it. The last one you will ever read.
If you’re new, for the past several weeks I have posted 7 facts on adoption followed a week later by our response to the facts or a look through the lens of an organization immersed in the adoption field.
So, the facts described last week are as follows:
- Multiple studies report disruption rates between 10 and 25%
- Studies report that only a “small level of completed adoptions dissolve”… estimated between 1-5%
- There were 2,041 adoptions (of any kind including step-parent adoption) in Arkansas in 2007
- International adoptions make up about 14% of all adoptions (2000-2008)
- Public adoptions make up roughly 40% of all adoptions (2000-2008)
- Other forms including private and stepparent adoptions make up about 46% (2000-2008)
- Arkansas had 102 international adoptions in 2008
*A disruption would be a circumstance in which an adoption falls through after a child is placed in a home but before finalization.
** A dissolved adoption refers to adoptions that are finalized but, for some reason, don’t last forever.
Here are some things to take away:
A common fear among adopting couples is the fear of an adoption disruption. 10-25% is significant, surely, but just to put it into perspective, you can imagine that a pitcher is up to bat, and it’s likely he will strike out, I mean, he’s a pitcher, but there is always that chance that he gets a lucky blooper. So prepare for it just in case, but don’t let it ruin the journey.
The 2,041 adoptions in 2007 would mean about 4 adoptions per town in Arkansas. Given the need discussed in previous posts, throughout the world and in our own state, that number seems very small.
Public adoptions (through public agencies) are still the most popular form of adoption.
Despite growing popularity, international adoptions are fairly rare.
For more information about the adoption process in Arkansas, contact Adoption Arkansas.