Adoption

Adoption is the process by which people take a child who was not born to them and raise him or her as a member of their family. By law, adopted children differ from foster children. An adopted child has all the legal rights of a member of the family that raises him or her. A foster child does not.

Parents place their children up for adoptions for many reasons. Some parents feel they cannot adequately care for their off springs because of health or economic conditions. Some others, especially unwed parent, may not want to raise a child.

But there are couples who cannot have children of their own. Adoption gives them opportunity to raise a family. They can get one from an adoption agency if they have all the requirements asked.

State laws prohibit adoption agencies from revealing the identity of the natural parents to the adoptive parents. These laws also forbid agencies from disclosing the identity of the adoptive parents to the natural parents. In some states, the law permits adopted persons who are at least 18 years old to see their birth certificates including the natural parents' names.

On the contrary, many adopted people worked to change the laws. They argue that people have a right to know their identity. They said that keeping secret their adoptions records violate their right.

On the other hand, many people feel adoption records should be kept secret. If not, natural parents might change their minds years later and take the child away from the parents who raised him or her.

Some experts advise that a child should know of the adoptions by the age of 6 or 7. Surveys have shown that most adopted children develop normally.

Posted in: Article