Although it is possible to complete
a private adoption in a foreign country, every adoption professional recommends
against this approach and we agree. Licensed agencies have spent years working
with the governments of other countries to establish predictable, formal
adoption procedures that protect the child and the adoptive parents. Take
advantage of all that experience and negotiation.
International Adoption is a
wonderful option for a variety of reasons.
Although it is not possible to receive a
baby within days of birth, some countries process orphans so quickly that
you may receive your child as young as three to four months old. - Many countries have more open eligibility
requirements. For example, many foreign countries will allow people in
their fifties to adopt young children, an unlikely occurrence in the United
States. Singles, gays and lesbians can
find adoption options in other countries as well.
- Although difficult for birth parents, relinquishment
is usually final so there is virtually no likelihood that you will have to
worry about birth parent issues.
- Many countries require that you travel there to
receive your child; an international trip to adopt your child can be the
experience of a lifetime!
Although adoption procedures for
many countries are predictable at this point, political and other issues can
disrupt international adoption.
For example, because of some concerns about
children being adopted from Vietnam
into slavery, the Vietnamese government halted all adoptions and negotiated
country by country rules.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the U.S.
does not have an adoption agreement in place with Vietnam.
In another case, China
decided to switch administration of adoptions from one ministry to another,
holding up adoptions for many months.
There is also the issue of adopting
children who may look different from you. For some people, the differences are
just one more special element of the international adoption, but it’s prudent
to explore your own feelings about the differences.
Finally, international adoption can
be expensive because you are paying agency fees, special document fees,
governmental and orphanage fees in another country and transport fees to bring
the child to the United States.
It’s dizzying to think about all of
the options. One way to sort through the possibilities is to think about what
kind of child you want to adopt, your risk tolerance, your budget, and the kind
of experience you want to have. We hope that Chapters Three, Four and Five helped
you. This may be a good time to return to those chapters and review your
thinking, now that you have more information about the adoption options available to
you.
