Why are so many people adopting children from other countries when there are so many in the USA who need homes

nobody

Believe it or not, America's poor children are "rich" by international standards. America's children in need of a home most likely have an actual roof over their heads and food. The enormous numbers of poor children in underdeveloped countries have NOTHING.

Polly

There are children in EVERY country who need homes, many living in far worse conditions than those in the U.S. What makes one country more deserving than another?

The laws are not more lenient in other countries. In fact with intercountry adoption you first have to pass all the requirements in your own country and then all the requirements in the country you want to adopt from so it is actually harder from that perspective.

It is huge decision to have children (through biology or adoption). I have met thousands of adoptive parents and I haven't met one yet that did it because they they wanted to be like some film star. People do it becasue they want to form a family and after weighing all the options they feel that intercounty adoption is the right one for them.

Still Me

No, I don't think many people are trying ti "imitate" anyone, although there are adoptive parents who adopt overseas for the wrong reason. Some may like the attention, or the credit for "saving" a poor little orphan. That makes my skin c-r-a-w-l ! What do you think that child feels having to be the little saved kid? Do they then "owe" the adoptive parents for "saving" them?

The ONLY reason anyone should adopt is because they want to parent, love, raise and commit to a child! Period. Nothing back..No fame. No attention. No praise.

And there is a HUGE misconception that there are all these babies in the U. S. that are just waiting in foster care. NOT SO !! There are no infants waiting in foster care at all (except for a tiny number who have catastrophic illnesses such as being born with no brain, severely MR, etc. -- Bless their hearts : (

The children in foster care who sit day after day wondering if someone will ever love them, protect them, take care of them -- are school age or older. Some of them may be a part of a sibling group of 3 - 4 with one being a younger toddler or child. But there simply are no babies in the U. S. that don't have 100 adoptive parents hoping to parent them!!

GroundWire

its actually easier and faster to adopt foreign children

Traylee

Some of the answers to this question are absolutely ridiculous. Having recently adopted a little girl from Kazakhstan (former USSR) and currently beginning the process to adopt a child from the US foster system, I am appalled at the misinformation being spread around on here. There are several factors most people consider when choosing where to adopt.

1. Age of the children available. You cannot adopt a newborn internationally. Some countries will claim newborn, but the fact is you get a referral (that is a picture and a brief history) of a newborn but you don't travel to get the child for another 10 to 18 months. In the US, you can adopt a newborn but the process involves preparing a profile and waiting for a birthmother to select you. In terms of older children, 80% of the 150,000 US foster kids legally free for adoption are over the age of six. The majority of children in foreign orphanages are also school age - most of those children will never be adopted.

2. Health of the children available. The safest and surest way to adopt a health child is through domestic infant adoption. You will usually meet the birthparents; there will be prenatal care, and genetic screenings, and so on and so forth. From there it is all a crap shoot. Infants adopted internationally usually come home with little to no medical history. In some countries, the norm is that the infants are abandoned so the child won't even have an accurate birthday. In international adoption, you can count on there being no prenatal care and contrary to some previous posts; there is prenatal drug exposure in international adoption. Though it is rare in some countries, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a real concern in children adopted from Russia and other Eastern European countries. Also anytime children past the age of three to four months are adopted, there are transition issues to cope with...infants are aware of their surroundings and can respond negatively to having their entire worlds turned upside down. Also, all the abuse issues that have been mentioned regarding children in US foster care also applies to children in foreign orphanages...do we honestly think that child abuse in all its horrible forms is a US phenomena?? Older children adopted from foreign orphanages show all the developmental devastations known to be caused by institutionalized care. It is also common to see attachment disorders in older children coming from foreign orphanages because as a rule as infants and young children they never get held or played with...they don't ever learn to rely on an adult to take care of them and that is a HUGE problem.

3. Cost of the Adoption. The expense of international adoption can range from $15,000 to $45,000. A newborn domestic adoption ranges from $10,000 to $35,000. A US foster care adoption is from $1,000 to $5,000. For any type of adoption there is a federal tax credit that pays a little over $10,000 to help defray the expenses. With international adoption, there total expense is more likely to be known at the outset...whereas with domestic adoption there are more likely to be unpredictable variables dependent on birthmother needs, medical care etc.

4. Time to complete the adoption. Internationally an adoption takes 18 to 24 months from start to end. Domestic newborn adoptions range from 8 to 18 months. US Foster care is close to 6 months. As with the expenses, the time frame for international adoption is more fixed...there is a more certain timeline. Domestic adoption is all about waiting to be chosen by a birthmother.

5. Birth family contact. Most domestic adoptions these days are open adoptions. This means that the birthmothers receive some kind of ongoing information about the child. In international adoption, it is rare that adoptive families will even have a name for the birthmother...the information simply isn't there. Families have to decide what they are the most comfortable with and in which situation they will be the most effective parents.

Finally it comes down to where a family feels pulled to go. Asked why I adopted in Kazakhstan the first time, my standard answer is that that was where Hannah was. Most adoptive families feel the child they adopt was meant to be their's...it was destined. The decision of where to adopt from is one of the most important in finding their waiting child.

Returning to your original question...it begs the response, are children in the US more entitled than those in other countries? Are we to care for only those needy who are US citizens? You're right; there are around 150,000 children in the US waiting to be adopted. Internationally, there are millions of children who will grow up in orphanages. Do those children not deserve a chance at a family as well?

Despite the publicity surrounding international adoption, there are more than 30,000 domestic adoptions each year in the US. That is more than the annual adoptions from all the international programs combined. It is a sad thing that children don't have homes, but before you criticize those who have actually done something to give one of those children a home maybe you should ask yourself when was the last time you did anything to help a child?

A quote my mother sent me while I was in Kazakhstan adopting my daughter:

"She's not lucky. She's entitled. Every child is entitled to a mother."

Nicole Holofcener

â€ Lawrence Râ€

It's because of the sea of red tape and the hoops they have to jump through here, not to mention the expense and the intrusion on privacy by the agencies. And please don't believe the myth that we adoptive parents are looking for just white babies. It just ain't so.

Angela B

It is a much easier process to adopt and a time line. With domestic adoption you never know when you will be picked. You can be picked today or wait numerous years. Many families don't want to have to deal with birth families. Also in general fore gin babies are healthier i.e. drug free than in the u.s. This is a totally generalization and not always true. When adopting international you get a child within 6-18 months and you don't have to worry about the birth mom changing her mind at the last minute.
My husband and I started adoption in another country and they stopped for a little while then a wonderful and interesting situation came up and we got chosen and our son is the best thing ever and we talk with his birth mom and father a couple of times a year and he sees them once a year on his birthday.

amaya7

I think the laws really are more lenient abroad.

mom2grls0204

I think a lot of people adopt from abroad because it is harder for biological parents to come back and say I want my baby back. You hear about US adoptions doing that a lot.

JellyBean

I hate it when people say this! I agree with the other poster that American orphans are much, much better off compared with orphans in a foreign country. The conditions in some countries are not good at all and being an orphan there is NOT a good thing. These children have a more urgent need, sometimes it is literally a life or death situation for them to find a home. You can't say that for kids here. Why crap on anyone who would open their heart and home to ANY child?? There is no shortage of people looking to adopt our "lovely American kids". The bigger question is why should it matter what the childs nationality is in order to adopt. The child that you were meant to have may very well be from another country and you would never know it with a Closed Mind. Do what's in your heart!

hotmama

I think that children here in the u.s are treated a little better in foster care than children in other countries that have no food,clean water,education..any of the needs to take care of a child. If I were to adopt a child..I would go to another country to do it.Same thing with my family getting a puppy..we're going to a humane society rather than buying one from a breeder or something where it already has a good home. Not to compare children to puppies..but in my mind I'm going to adopt the one that needs it the most.

catvet02

Adoptive parents have little to no rights in America. Older adoptable children aren't removed from abusive or neglective homes until that are irreversibly damaged, emotionally and /or physically. With infant adoption, most domestic adoptive parents experience at least one or more birthparent that changes their mind once the baby is born. In international adoption, there is a lot of red tape, paperwork and expense, but you know the outcome-you will have a child. I have both a domestically adopted son and an internationally adopted daughter. I wouldn't trade either of them. Both experiences were different but my son's adoption was more emotionally difficult. Adoption is a wonderful and loving choice no matter how you go about it.

Erin L

We've adopted internationally. Our reasons were that it takes a shorter amount of time for a healthy infant than domestic adoption. Also, my husband is Asian American, so it we felt we could provide a home and family and real connection to culture for a child who TRULY needed a home through adoption in order to survive.

Actually, to clear up a few misconceptions. People are saying the laws are more convenient in international adoption. That's not true. It's MORE red tape to adopt internationally, not less. You have to meet U.S.C.I.S. requirements, your state requirements, and the foreign government requirements. Also, those who suggest that people are "buying" another country's child, the fees are for services, and a big portion of them do not go to the foreign government, but to the adoption agency in the U.S. who fascilitates the adoption.

moviestarsomeday

I think mostly because it has become a fad in hollywood to adopt a foreign child because it " looks good." and since everyone wants to feel like a movie star everyone else is out trying to adopt foreign kids too. Which IS good, they need homes too. But foreign adoption IS very exspensive, but more often then not it is faster than going through the whole adoption process in America because we stress on the child's placement and happiness more and all the paperwork and such. So to answer your questions I think it's because the laws are more lenient ( usually) AND because they want to imitate Angelina and all the other famous ppl who are trying to " look good".

djhpink

It is actually hard to adopt here. I have a friend who cannot concieve that would be a excellent mom. She is marrie d and has adopted a teenage child after she foster cared him . She is waiting for a baby

Lisa

I believe many reasons.

#1- the laws are much more lenient.

#2 -the wait here for an infant is so long unless it is a private adoption that people just aren't willing to wait for an American baby.

#3-in the US you are not allowed to choose gender and in other countries you are. If you have 4 boys and want a girl you must go elsewhere

#4- A baby comes with little emotional and physical baggage. Being the mother of an infant is a truly magical and challenging thing and most people want to experience that. You lose out on something amazing when you adopt an older child.

Jo M

Hi, I am adopting a 51/2 yr old little girl from the state of NJ who has lived in 10 foster homes and is mentally and physically abused. She will need therapy for a very long time. Most foster parents only foster because the get alot of money for the kids. My daughter will be 75% white and 25% hispanic . I also am adopting a little girl from China, she is costing me about $30 thousand dollars, but will be a healthy infant..I have been waiting 2 yrs for her, China takes a very long time. My daughter from NJ will only be 6 monthes from strart to finnish. The problem is there are no white healthy infants for adoption, mostly black or real sick kids. To be blunt most black families have enough kids and don't want to adopt- and people look at you strange when a white woman has a black infant or child, but and asian child has a different allure. I feel if a woman already has a few kids she had to give up to foster care then she should just STOP having them, Maybe some of they wealthy sports stars could pitch in and help adopt a few kids, why is it the white people are made to feel crappy if they don't want a black child? Can someone answer that?

tinaturner

the process is faster.

ashlorene84

Unfortunately its not only easier to adopt overseas it also cheaper....even flying and staying twice for two weeks at a time. Our family tried for five years in the USA to adopt a child, they have money, good stable home, no kids (unable), great jobs that is secure and very religious they are the best people I know but the laws were so hard and they were not considered good people, but they could be state parents (hold them in there house til they get adopted or find there family, come from abusive home, turn 18) that type of thing. But they wanted a child to be theirs, not having to worry about someone coming and taking the child away....anyways, in Russia it was easier and they were able to see the mom and visit with the baby until the baby was able to come home. It really made them happy. Its just sad they had to wait so long because they are very good people.

Julia M

There may be many reasons. It is difficult in N. America because so often the biological parents do not want to grant permission for the adoption. So the child remains in foster care of a ward of the court rather than getting 'a family of their own".

BPD Wife

I used to feel upset that families went outside our country to adopt. However, after going thru a US adoption, I need to say that I now understand some of the reasons for going abroad.

First, our governmnent is not as supportive to adoptive families as it should be. Adoption fees (if using an agency) are higher than they need to be in my opinion. I just tell myself that I hope that by having the higher fees and requirements, that it helps to protect some children from being adopted by abusive individuals and that it serves as a "safety net" for that reason. While there is a $10,000 income tax credit for adoptive parents, you can't use it until after the adoption is finalized - which occurs AFTER you pay all of your fees.

Also, there is the risk that the biological parents could change their mind at the time the baby is born. If that occurs, the adoptive family loses all of the monies paid thus far and must start over most of the process. When adopting from another country, the children are usually already available for adoption, which means that the adoptive families are almost "guaranteed" a child.

Lastly, I think that some people choose to adopt from abroad because they worry that the biological family will come back later and try to "find" the child. By adopting from another country, this fear tends to be eliminated.

The reality is that if my husband & I could afford to adopt again, we would "consider" international adoption as much as we would consider US adoption. I guess what we came to realize during the adoption process is that ALL children need loving homes & families - regardless of where they were born.

Super Monkey B

THANK YOU!!!

We have millions of children and babies who are in need oif being adopted and people are going to Africa and crap to adopt kids. Stop caring about the hell in Africa and Pakistan and deal with the issues we have in the US.

Dino

There is a longer waiting list in the U.S. for a healthy baby. Also, over seas, the standard of living is bad in many cases, so there are more babies to adopt -- too many mouths to feed.

Unfortunately, in the U.S. a lot of healthy black babies are not adopted by white families because they don't want a black baby.

flower child

Becauce their is not that long of a wait to adopt an infant from other countries as the United states.

M A D

Well the laws are different and you also have to put up allot of money upfront - they say they are not selling the children, but then why do North Americana's spend thousands to the country to get the child here....

What a shame that people are so desperate to have a child resort to paying all this money to a foreign country.

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