Pastor Claude Thomas Weblog

Author: Michael Russell

A child who is born from one set of parents and becomes the child of other parents is said to be adopted. Adoption can provide a home and a family for a child who cannot have the care of his natural parents for any reason. It can also make it possible for people who are childless to have children.

Most people think that adoption is a fairly new practice, but it is centuries old. It was a practice that was well known to the Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. However, the practice of adopting children did not become widespread until the 20th century when it grew in popularity in most European countries. The practice is now most popular in the United States, where during the past 50 years; the number of adoptions has increased by leaps and bounds. Well over 100,000 children are adopted annually in the United States alone.

There are many reasons why children have to be adopted. Sometimes a child suffers the death of one or both parents. Or the parent suffers an illness that cannot be cured, so a court decides that it would be best for the child to be adopted. There also parents who discover that they are not able to take care of a child after it is born, so they place him with a family who wants to adopt him and has the means to look after him. Some natural parents feel that they are not mature enough or suffer the stigma of being unmarried, so they’re not prepared to make a comfortable home for the child. These parents come from every social class and have varied backgrounds in race, religion, educational attainment and economic position. Social workers say that but the child up to adoption does not necessarily mean that the natural parents do not care for the child. In contrast, most parents consent to the adoption of their children because they love them and they wish the children to have the opportunities and the care that they’re unable to provide.

Most of the children who are adopted in the United States are adopted by stepparents or other close relatives. The other children are adopted through child welfare agencies or through the aid of clergymen and doctors. There are public and private child welfare agencies in every state and in all major cities. These are supported by tax money and voluntary contributions. These agencies have in their care children of different ages who need adoption, ranging from babies who are only a few days old to adolescents.

A child who is adopted when he is a very young knows only his adoptive parents and may never guess that he was not born to them. Child welfare experts feel that it is better for a child to know from the time that he was small that he was adopted, otherwise there is a danger that he would find out the truth someday in a way that can hurt him. The fact of adoption need not disturb the parents or the child as long as a child feels that his adoptive parents truly love and care for him.

Author: Wade Robins

Over the last couple of years the number of international adoptions has increased quite substantially as can be seen from international adoption graphs. In this article we are going to look at some of the facts revealed by international adoption graphs for those of you who may be interested in learning more about international adoption.

One document which contains international adoption graphs and useful information for adoption in general is the “Adoption Data and Statistical Trends” study put out by Frank Biafora and Dawn Esposito, both of St John’s University. This report specifically covers international adoptions and domestic adoptions in the United States.

According to this study 5% of all adoptions in the United States in 1992 were inter-country adoptions. By 2001 this figure had increased to 15% of all adoptions. Their figures in this regard were from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2004).

In addition, their international adoption graphs include a graph showing the number of immigrant visas issued to orphans from 1990-2004, according to the US Department of State. According to their graphs, in 1989 8,102 visas were issued to international orphans, whereas in 2004 this figure had increased to 22,884.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway also has links to a number of international adoption graphs relating to the United States. For example, the one link to Office of Immigration Statistics gives a graph covering the total number of children adopted from different areas, and then breaks this down into gender and age groups.

Another of the international adoption graphs found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website is from the Department of Health and includes a break down of international adoptions according to the state where they were intended to live, their age groups, as well as gender.

If you are interested in finding international adoption graphs, besides looking at these two sources, it is best to look on government websites. The government websites provide many useful statistics regarding adoption, including domestic and international adoptions.

In conclusion, international adoption has increased quite substantially over the last two decades as shown by the international adoption graphs. Government websites in particular offer graphs which break this down into the number of international adoptions in different regions, according to gender as well as age groups. If you are looking for international adoption graphs we recommend starting with the above two sources and then investigating government websites further.

Posted by: Pastor Claude Thomas

Author: Isabal

The decision to adopt is a big one. To take care of a child not biologically yours is, by itself, a complicated life-choice to make. One would think that adopting a child who is also from a different race, a different country and a different culture would make it even more complicated. And yet, every year, thousands of parents make this happy choice and feel blessed by it. What are their reasons? And why should you consider international adoption?

More to Choose From, More to Love

Locally, very few babies are available for adoption. Modern birth control methods and even abortion result in fewer unplanned babies. Often, too, even single mothers are unwilling to give their babies up for adoption. In such a situation, choosing a baby is a luxury you are unlikely to have. Just to get a baby, any baby, you will probably have to wait a long time.

This is untrue with international adoption. Because you have a whole world of babies waiting for your care, you don’t have to wait so long, and you can even choose! You have a greater chance of finding your “ideal baby” or as close as you can come to it.

And when your adopted darling grows up, you can tell her in all honesty, “Of course, we love you. We chose you, didn’t we?”

It Won’t Be a Long Wait

When you adopt from another country, the waiting time is usually just 12-18 months. It may seem like a long time, but that is really nothing compared to the time you’ve already waited childlessly, and to the three years which is about the usual time local adoptions take.

In fact, considering all the paperwork that needs to be done, 12-18 months is really a very short time.

You’re Not Perfect, But That’s OK

Because the demand is so great, in many countries you need to pass certain qualifications to adopt a local child:
- Childless couples are first priority.
- Some agencies require you to be infertile.
- It is preferred that you and your mate be twenty-five to thirty-five years old.
- Ideally, you must have no physical disabilities.
- You must be married.

In addition, birth mothers are allowed to specify the kind of parents they want for their child, and they usually choose young, married, educated couples who are well-off and have active lifestyles.

International adoptions are far less prejudiced. Some countries and agencies allow you to have seven other children, you can be fifty years old, and you can be poor. If you will take care of the child and love her better than her real parents did before they went away, international adoption agencies will give you a fair shot and thank you for it.

You Never Have To Share Your Bundle of Joy

Foreign children usually cannot be adopted unless they are legally orphans. This has three very comforting implications for you:
- The birth mother will not suddenly change her mind.
- No biological mother will ever try to take your bundle of joy away from you.
- It is much less likely that your child will try to leave you for her biological parents when she grows up.

When it comes to custody, a foreign adoption is virtually as safe as bearing the child yourself.

Your World is Enlarged

When you adopt a child from another country, inevitably, you adopt not just the child but also the country. You learn to love another country as much as your own, simply because it is where your child was born. You are gently constrained to learn another country’s culture and history so that you may teach it to your child. Her natural heritage becomes your natural heritage. Her people become your people; strangers from her country automatically become your friends when you meet them in the streets.