Adoption 2 Essay, Research Paper

Adoption

The national birth rate of children born to single family homes heading towards 40% by the year 2000, and 50% by 2012. Many lawmakers are concerned about the increase in abused and neglected children that will possibly follow this trend. Currently there are about 500,000 kids in foster homes, but only about 50,000 are put in permanent homes each year. It is difficult for these kids to find homes due to government laws.

The House of Representatives passed a tax bill aimed towards adoption. This was passed to stimulate adoption for kids to have homes. A couple with an annual income below $60,000 receives a $5,000 tax credit. This credit is reduced as income increases. The credit is totally phased out when a couple s annual income is above $100,000.

What the federal government should do:

 Tax credits are increased for adopting families.

 Drug tests for adoption applicant s, and drug rehabilitation for birth-mothers

 Issue annual report cards on the rate of adoption in each state.

 Increased funding for family planning for High Schools.

 Make it easier for churches to assist in the adoption process, in turn helping their parishioners.

What the states should do:

 Privatize adoption services. (instead of non-profit)

 Establish separate people at county level for faster adoption rulings.

 Have Medicaid for handicapped kids.

 Organizations must meet licensing standards set by government.

 Pass a law to allow foster parents to begin adoption procedures.

 Pass laws that require child welfare agencies to start adoption procedures for any kids who have been abandoned by their parents for three or more months.

THE NEED FOR ADOPTION

Over the past 25 years there has been a huge increase in the number of children born out of wedlock, kids being raised by single parents, families on welfare. There also has been a sharp drop in the number of children being adopted. Formal adoptions have dropped nearly 50%: from 89,000 in 1970 to a new low of 50,000 per year throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.

The National Council for Adoption estimates that of the 50,000 children adopted annually, 25,000 are healthy children under the age of two, 10,000 are healthy children over the age of two, and 15,000 are children that are handicapped. About one-third of these adoptions are arranged by government funded programs and government managed agencies. International adoptions accounted for 8,000 adoptions in 1997.

Neglect

 In 1995, 30% of all births and 68% of minority births were out of wedlock. In 1970, 10% of all children and 38% of minority kids were born to single mothers.

 In 1993, 659,000 children were in state funded foster homes for all or part of the year.

 In 1992, 2,000 kids died from abuse or neglect. Some were murdered. Between 40% and 60% percent of children killed by their parents before they were put in foster homes.

How many possible adopters?

Although growing numbers of children need adoption, there are more than enough families to meet the demand. The National Council for Adoption estimates that at least one million couples who cannot bear children plus an additional one million couples who can bear children are willing to adopt. Couples who are willing to adopt are not looking just for healthy, white babies, despite what many people think.

Americans are very willing to adopt children from overseas. In 1993, over 56 percent of the 7,500 children adopted from overseas by American parents were over the age of one. Of these, 10% were between the ages of five and nine, and 5% were over the age of ten. Many of these foreign children have physical and/or emotional problems at the time of their adoption.

Despite the willingness to adopt by many families, most report a lack of support or encouragement from Social Workers. They complain of such things as unanswered phone calls, inadequate effort to contact other agencies that may have kids up for adoption, and a lack of support to bring couples successfully through the adoption process.

Many of our nation s kids are at risk of being put in foster homes, due to ever rising abuse and neglect by birth parents. The dedication of couples that adopt children solve many problems for the nation such as the cost of foster care, and the higher rate of addiction to drugs and alcohol, a decrease in crime.