Adoption is a beautiful way to grow your family and to provide a loving home for a child who needs one. For many years, would-be adoptive parents have had the choice between domestic adoptions — adopting an American child — and international adoptions, in which the adoptive parents adopt a child from another country and bring him or her into the United States. Recently, there has been a lot of uncertainty about international adoptions.
Ethical concerns
Sweden is the latest country to consider ending international adoptions. In Sweden’s case, the decision follows a government commission that examined international adoptions in Sweden and found evidence of child trafficking. Both the Netherlands and Denmark, neighbors of Sweden, have already forbidden their citizens to pursue international adoptions for similar reasons. The United States has stopped adoptions from Cambodia, again as a result of ethical concerns.
Countries that have tended to be the homes of the birth mothers rather than the adoptive parents, including China, Russia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Romania, and Kazakhstan have outlawed or severely restricted adoptions from their countries.
Ethical concerns about international adoptions have included claims that parents did not give consent to their biological children’s adoptions and worry over the safety and wellbeing of the adopted children, as well as evidence of child trafficking or other problems with the adoption procedures in those nations.
Complications
Even when international adoptions are still possible, they can be complicated and expensive compared with domestic adoptions. Logistical problems, red tape, political drama, and communication challenges can all add an extra layer of uncertainty about international adoptions.
Add the legal complications of arranging for U.S. citizenship for adopted children from other countries, and you can have a nightmarish situation. Adoptive parents caught in the middle of an adoption when a country bans foreigners from adopting children face heartbreak.
Over recent decades, international adoptions have slowed in the United States, often because of the concerns we’ve discussed.
What does this mean for Americans wanting to adopt?
Some would-be adoptive parents choose international adoptions for philosophical reasons, because they worry that they won’t be able to qualify as adoptive parents, or because they believe that it is hard to find children to adopt n the United States. These may be fears based on preconceptions rather than their actual experiences.
Contact Heimer Law with your questions and let us explain the process for domestic adoptions. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that adopting a child is within reach for you. We offer a free initial consultation, or call (479) 225.9725 with your questions.
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