Domestic Adoption

Domestic adoption is a choice agreed to by both parents when a child is conceived or after giving birth. Domestic adoption occurs in the child’s country of birth, the parents have their say as to where they wish their child to be raised. In most instances of domestic adoption the birth parents have met the child’s adoptive parents. The birth parents value the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the prospective foster parents. US laws state that a child can not be relinquished before birth, therefore a good understanding is a starting point, and may help elucidate the socio, economic or emotional situation of the birth parents, and it is also wise not to have unrealistic expectations before the child is born, because the emotional situation of the mother may influence the final outcome. The jurisdiction procedures may vary according to state and private agencies.

Foster care institutions can help facilitate the legal procedures involved in domestic adoption. Domestic adoption is on the steady rise in the United States more so than international adoptions, it is estimated that up to 25000 to 30000 infants are adopted annually. Despite the myth that seldom new born infants survive adoption the recent past has proved it fallacy. The costs associated with domestic adoption may vary, but can amount up to 15000 $ to 20000$. Parental age or family status is not specifically important and there are no known legal restrictions, but if the birth parents insist on the selection of the parents they might favor parents who are older than 25 years and not later than 45 and they might also prefer couples to single parents. They might also prefer couples with few or no children at all.

The adoptive parents must comply with the state jurisdictions where the baby was born before they can safely transport the child back with them. Therefore the whole procedure might take a couple of weeks depending on the state. There is a good resource of adoption agencies available in the internet, where they handle all such legal issues and facilitate contact between potential adoptive parents and the biological parents. They also provide counseling and advisory services to adoptive as well as biological parents. Websites like Adopted associates Inc; Wild Horizons for Children are few of the most reputaed adoption services available. There is a host of others as well, which can lay bare the procedure, legal and financial aspects that adoptive parents have to consider before going in to domestic adoption.