Untitled Essay, Research Paper

Words = 1579

Chelsea Mattson

PURPOSE STATEMENT: Adoption is a legal opportunity to raise a child, become a

family, and financially support that child throughout their life.

Adoption is a legal process by which people take as their own son or daughter a

person not born to them. The people who are adopted are usually adopted when they are

young children or even an infant. Adoption differs from foster care, a situation in which a

child is temporarily placed with a foster family. An adopted child becomes a permanent

member of the adoptive family, with all the rights and privileges or a biological child. 1 In

the United States, there are about 2 million adopted children under the age of 18. Each

year, approximately 150,000 children are adopted, two-thirds of them by their relatives. 2

Ancient people started adoption so they could have a legal heir to pass their name

and belonging s to. The ancient Greeks, Babylonians, Romans, and Assyrians were some

of the first people who started adoption. The Babylonians started the Babylonian Code of

Hammurabi, which was a set of rules for the people to live by, and it told the people that

they could only adopt if a contract was made up between the biological parents, as well as

the adoptive parents, much like the modern day methods. Although adoption has been

taking place since the ancient times, the first law code was passed in Massachusetts in

1851, which was the first adoption code ever passed in the United States of America.

The people who are eligible to adopt a child must be legal adults, being 18 years of

age or older. Many married couples will choose to adopt, as well as just one single person.

Some relatives choose to adopt a family member who has been born into an unfortunate

situation or has been abandoned. These relatives could be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or

even a cousin.

People who cannot have children due to health problems will often adopt children,

as will people with diseases or genetic traits that they do not want to pass onto their own

offspring. Many people will adopt just for the reason being that they do not want to go

through the process of having their own child.

Adoptions are often arranged through public or private agencies who investigate

both the child s parentage and the suitability of the adoptive family. 3 Adoptions can take

place through an agency, hospital, or even a church. Most people today will go to an

adoption agency because the business will do all of the work in finding a child, although

there is a fee required. Many hospitals will set up a couple, who is looking to adopt, with a

mother who is putting her child up for adoption, and churches will do the same thing.

There are three different types of adoption, the first being open adoption. Open

adoption is when a child is adopted and the biological parents are granted permission to

exchange personal information, such as medical problems and history, or financial

standings with the adoptive family. In some cases, the biological parents may maintain

personal contact with the child after the adoption. 4 The hopes of the biological parents

usually resolve the outcome of such negotiations, sometimes resulting in the refusing of

going through with the adoption from the biological parents if the adoptive parents do not

allow them their desires. The next form is closed adoption, which is when the adoptive

parents and the biological parents do not trade information or have any personal

communication. Only a few states require a direct exchange of information between birth

parents and adoptive parents. However, all states have laws establishing whether court

files regarding adoptions are to be open or closed. 5 If the files are accessible, state laws

control who has access to the records and when they may be investigated. Last, is

intrafamily adoption, which is when a biological family member adopts a relative. This is

usually the easiest form of adoption because many children already live with a family

member who would like to adopt them. The most common reason the intrafamily adoption

is taking place is because a stepparent adopts their spouse s child to be their legal guardian

and to establish a closer connection with the child.

The cost for adopting a child varies according to the child, his/her needs, and the

adopting family s income. Adopting a special needs child can cost nothing, or it can be as

high as $10,000. When an American Caucasian child is adopted, the prices range from

$25,000-$30,000, but for an African American child, that fees can be as low as $6,000 and

no higher than $12,000. The highest amount paid for an African American child through

adoption is less than half of the lowest price paid for a Caucasian child. Biracial American

children s costs are between those of African American s and Caucasian American s. The

adoption of a foreign child is usually much lower than that of an American, being between

$10,000 and $18,000. If an adoption is independent, meaning no agencies or caseworkers

are involved, the child can be $10,000 to $12,000.

When people choose to adopt, they usually first go to an adoption agency, where

they hire a caseworker. The caseworker s job is to find parents wishing to place their child

for adoption, and then gathering information on the child or family. The caseworker s job

can either be finding a child for a couple, or finding a couple for a child. After a child is

found (or a couple), the caseworker then studies the couples relationship and emotional

status. If the couple is loving and caring, the caseworker will then begin to set up the

adoption through the agency.

The adoption procedure takes about one year to finalize. First, the child must be

legally separated from his/her biological parents and then the custody of the child must be

transferred to the adoption agency through which the adoption is taking place. After that

step, the parental rights of the adoptive parents are transferred to the child s new family,

which usually takes 6-12 months. A formal request must be made in court for the child to

be adopted, and the request must be approved then in court. After the approval of the

adoption request, the adoption becomes legal and the adoptive parents are granted the

same legitimate rights as any biological parent.

An adopted child has many rights, one being the right to look for his/her biological

family. This decision is entirely up to the adopted person, it being his/her choice. A

twenty-six year old named Nathan R. says, No one, no social worker had the right to

decide for me what I should know about me. If I don t like what I find out, that s my

problem. I m an adult in every other way, and I make my own decisions about what risks I

take, and I face the consequences, too. 6 Others decide not to look for their biological

parents because they feel satisfied enough with the lives they lead or because they don t

want to hurt their adoptive parents. The adopted child, like any child, has a need for

security; that is, a sense of being safe, loved, and accepted. And, like any child, he or she

needs to develop independence and self sufficiency, an identity, and the capacity to relate

to others in mutually gratifying and intimate ways. 7 The adopted children have the right

to be financially supported by their adoptive family like a biological child would, and the

right to inherit from their adoptive family.

Adoptive parents face the decision to tell their children about adoption or not. In

the past, parents often kept information related to the adoption from the child until her or

she became an adult. 8

There are many complications in adoption, but the biggest being the loss of money.

Many people invest a lot of money into an adoption agency, only to lose it because they

did not have a child matched to them. Sometimes, the adoption could be almost

completed, and the request to the court may not follow through or it could be denied,

causing the couple/person to have to start all over again. Once a child is adopted, the

biological parents may want to get into his/her life again, which could be a consequence

for the adoptive family to deal with. Many times an adoptive child will feel out of place

with his/her adoptive family because they do not share the same genetic traits.

I feel that adoption is a very good thing. There are many thousands of children

sitting in foster care that pray daily for a forever family/home. These children come into

our world so innocent and not of their own doing…yet often due to a child s skin color

they are left to languish in foster care or orphanages…it s very sad. How many of our

future doctors and nurses are not given a chance (to become the best they can be) because

they are raised in the state foster systems? I believe that adoption should be more for the

children and families involved and a lot less money. There are thousands of children up for

adoption in America and many families would like to adopt them. However because of the

fees being so high, it makes adoptions very difficult…I believe that ALL children should be

given the same chance to have a forever family. 9 Adoption is a wonderful opportunity, in

my opinion, because it is the chance for unfortunate children to be given a second chance

and a family that will love and raise them throughout their lives. The adults who choose to

adopt deserve a round of applause, because without them, innocent children in foster care

and orphanages wouldn t be granted their only dream, which is to have a family. But it

is, Wanda said, gazing into her watery eyes. It is a birthmark. As I took you from the

fire, a flame branded me for life. I was reborn and became a loving mother the moment I

held you in my arms. 10