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Hannah Skibba

Professor Fields

English Comp

February 15, 2019

Family: More Than Bloodline.

Family is an important part of everyone's life, and when the time is right, everyone may

dream of starting a family on their own. Unfortunately, starting a family is not as easy for some

people due to various circumstances. When it is not possible to create a life on their own, many

parents decide to adopt. Adoption gives children of all ages the chance to live a more fulfilled

life. Adoption is a huge decision, from choosing an agency to picking which country they may

want to pursue. Whether or not one chooses to adopt domestically or internationally is a decision

that will vary from home to home and parent to parent. However, the positive impacts of

adoption, for both the child and family, are well-documented. Therefore, in order to understand

which adoption method may be best for one particular family, one must understand the history,

the procedures, and the beneficial effects that this process can give to all parties involved.

It is believed that adoption has been occurring since the ancient years, but it consisted of

families giving their children to other families in the same way that someone would gift a

present. In an article by Ellen Herman, it was stated that there were no laws on how a child was

adopted in the United States until 1851. “The Massachusetts Adoption of Children Act, enacted

in 1851, is widely considered the first “modern” adoption law.” (Herman). What this act did was

allow a family take in a child that was not blood related. When this act came to be, if the child

was above the age of 14, consent needed to be given by the teenager along with both birth and
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adoptive parents. All of this is important because it shows how not only the United States, but

internationally as well, wanted to fulfill everyone's needs with starting a family.

The two different types of adoption are domestic and international. Domestic adoption is

adoption within the United States, while international adoption is adopting a child from another

country. International adoption was very popular in the 1900’s and hit a peak of fame shortly

after the Vietnam and Korean war. An article stated, “Fueled by reports of political strife and war

in Korea and Vietnam, US citizens, especially military families, gained a greater awareness of

the plight of orphans in other countries and kindled a growing interest in international

adoptions.” (Engel et. al). This grew into interest of international adoption in many other

countries and continued to stay popular. In an article written by Richard Tessler, he stated that

China and Latin America were areas that the most children were adopted from at this time.

“China sent approximately 77,500 children to the U.S. between 1992 and 2010. Latin America

has also been a popular location for adoptive parents. In 1975, Columbia was second only to

Korea as a source for international adoption, and in the 1980s six of the top ten sending countries

were in Latin America.” (Tessler). Nowadays, international adoption has gone down, and

domestic adoption has increased. “Nearly one out of every five children adopted in the U.S.

today is an international adoptee” (Tessler).

There are many reasons why someone may put their child up for adoption. These reasons

all come down to wanting to give their child a better chance in life than what the parents are able

to provide. There are also many reasons why someone may choose to adopt over having a child

of their own. An article from American Adoptions stated that the main reason for this is

infertility, which is when someone cannot get pregnant. If someone is unable to have a baby,

they will often turn to adoption. A couple other reasons that many may turn to adoption are they
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are worried about medical concerns with having a baby, they do not want to pass down harmful

genes, they are part of the LGBT community and are unable to have a child naturally, or they just

want to give someone a better life. However, adoption is not like choosing a pair of shoes, it is a

major decision that impacts the parents’ and the child's life forever.

While deciding whether domestic or international adoption is a better fit for a family,

there are different key points to look at. These points are cost, wait time, available children, and

medical history. Domestic and international adoption have around the same cost. An article

stated, “Both types of adoption have similar total costs, typically ranging from around $25,000 to

$50,000.” (American Adoptions). Although this is similar, the cost for travel and trip to adopt

can add much more onto that price. For example, an international plane ride and hotel stay for a

week add up to be much more than it would somewhere inside the country. In an interview with

Kathy Skibba, a parent familiar with international adoption, she stated, “It is important to

research and know the expenses, but it is worth it in the end, emotionally and spiritually.” Both

types of adoption may request that the adoptive parents meet with the birth parents or foster

family various times. To know exactly how long a wait time will be to adopt, the parents must

create an adoption plan. For both domestic and international adoption, the wait time can range

from 1-12 months. Although the range is quite large, the wait time does not solely depend on

whether the adoption is happening in the country or not. The factors that can affect the wait time

are the race of the baby, information from both birth parents and adoptive parents, and budget.

The next factor is available children. Although there are many children all over the world

who want to be adopted, international adoption has recently decreased. In an article, it was

stated, “While domestic adoption continues to grow, international adoption has declined

significantly over the past several years, with just 7,092 adoptions in 2013, down from 8,668 in
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2012, 9,319 in 2011 and 11,058 in 2010.” (American Adoptions). Since this is occurring, fewer

adoption agencies work with international adoption. Finally, the last key point is medical history.

When adopting from another country, it is common to not receive much medical history on the

child. This may lead to medical issues after the adoption and inability to have record of it. With

knowing this, it is important to continue doing research. In the interview with Kathy Skibba, she

stated, “Internation adoption was for me because with domestic, the birth parents choose you, so

it is possible to sit for years and not get picked. I felt safer with international because alcohol and

drug addiction were low in the country that I chose. To me, race didn’t matter, a healthy child

did.” While all of these points are important, every intended parent find more information on

agencies and countries to find the best fit to them.

Adoption can be very beneficial for everyone involved. Often, children are not adopted

immediately. When this occurs, children are placed in either foster homes or orphanages. An

article stated, “In the 1990s the number of children in foster care rose to an all-time high, over

550,000 children in foster care in 1998.” (Rolock et. All). While this is just in the United States,

high numbers of children globally are also placed in foster homes. On top of that, often children

do not just live in one foster home, but they travel from home to home, having to readjust to a

new life much too often. When a child does get adopted from a foster home or an orphanage, it

has many remarkable benefits mentally and emotionally for not only the child, but the adoptive

parents as well. An article states, “For children who exit foster care through adoption or

guardianship, a source of social connection is family, including family members who are part of

the child’s family of origin and members of the family formed through adoption or

guardianship.” (Rolock). The day a child gets adopted can be a life changing moment for the

better.
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In conclusion, adoption is big decision that can change a family’s life for the better.

Although adoption is a large process and commitment, the benefits for everyone can be

remarkable. Every child deserves to have a well-rounded and happy life. With adoption, children

are able to get a more fulfilled life. Even though there are difference in between domestic and

international adoption, both have many well-documented reports. Everyone is different, so it is

important to continue doing research on agencies and countries to figure out the best fit family to

family.

Works Cited:

American Adoptions. 23 Reasons to Adopt a Child. 2019. Web. 26 Feb.

< 2019. https://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/why-people-adopt>

American Adoptions. Domestic vs. International Adoption: Which Type of Adoption Is Right
for Your Family? 2019. Web. 13 Feb. 2019.
<https://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/domestic_international>

Engel, Madeline; Phillips, Norma K; Dellacava, Frances A. International Adoption: A

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Sociological Account of The US Experience. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 2007.

Proquest. 22 Feb. 2019.
<https://search.proquest.com/abicomplete/docview/203751203/abstract/EB3B619F193B
4E9BPQ/2?accountid=14788.>

Herman, Ellen. Adoption History in Brief. Department of History, University of Oregon. 2012.
Web. 13 Feb. 2019. https://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/topics/adoptionhistbrief.htm

Rolock, Nancy. et al. From Foster Care to Adoption and Guardianship: A Twenty-First Century
Challenge. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal. 2018. Ebscohost. 26 Feb. 2019.
<https://ezproxy.uwgb.edu:2443/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=a9h&AN=127446840&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.

Tessler, Richard. Et al. The Many Faces of International Adoption. SagePublications Inc. 2011.
Proquest. 13 Feb. 2019.
<https://ezproxy.uwgb.edu:2443/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1112772
977?accountid=14788>