Source for the following tables: U.S. Department of State
Adoption involves money. It’s a fact. And where money is involved, there can be corruption. The Hague Convention is designed to minimize corruption within its member nations, which include the U.S. While we don’t take positions on issues as a group, individual GCOF families deplore any kind of unscrupulous adoption activity. We know that it’s possible to adopt internationally through honest means that have the children’s best interests at heart – because we’ve done it!
One might think that everyone would agree on what is best for an orphaned or abandoned child. That’s not always the case. Newsweek’s Pat Wingert addresses this issue in “When There’s No Place Like Home,” Newsweek, February 4, 2008 Issue. (If the link does not work, access the article here in PDF.)
8 Myths and Realities About Adoption, From Adoptive Families Magazine |
MYTH There are very few babies being placed for adoption. REALITY 20,000 or more U.S.-born infants are placed for adoption each year—as many or more than the number of international adoptions yearly. |
MYTH Adoption is outrageously expensive, out of reach for most families. REALITY Adoption is often no more expensive than giving birth. Costs to adopt domestically average $15,000, before the $10,000 Adoption Tax Credit and benefits that many employers offer. |
MYTH It takes years to complete an adoption. REALITY The average time span of adoption is one to two years. The majority of domestic and international adopters who responded to a recent poll by Adoptive Families Magazine completed their adoptions in less than a year. |
MYTH Birthparents can show up at any time to reclaim their child. REALITY Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive family is recognized as the child’s family by law. Despite the publicity surrounding a few high-profile cases, post-adoption revocations are extremely rare. |
MYTH Birthparents are all troubled teens. REALITY Most birthparents today are over 18, but lack the resources to care for a child. It is generally with courage and love for their child that they terminate their parental rights. |
MYTH Adopted children are more likely to be troubled than birth children. REALITY Research shows that adoptees are as well-adjusted as their non-adopted peers. There is virtually no difference in psychological functioning between them. |
MYTH Open adoption causes problems for children. REALITY Adoptees are not confused by contact with their birthparents. They benefit from the increased understanding that their birthparents gave them life but their forever families take care of and nurture them. |
MYTH Parents can’t love an adopted child as much as they would a biological child. REALITY Love and attachment are not the result of nor guaranteed by biology. The intensity of bonding and depth of emotion are the same, regardless of how the child joined the family. |
Adoption Facts |
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As of the 2000 Census, there were 1.5 million children under age 18 in America who joined their family through adoption, 2% of all children in the U.S. In the U.S., there are 5 million people today who were adopted. More than 100,000 children are adopted each year. 94% of all Americans view adoption favorably. |
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How Domestic and International Adoptions Compare:
* Including travel, legal, agency, and all other expenses, before tax credit or any employee adoption benefits Source: Adoptive Families Reader Poll, 2001, 2003 |
"8 Myths and Realities About Adoption" and "Adoption Facts" copyright ©2005 Adoptive Families Magazine; permission is granted to reproduce this page for educational, not-for-profit purposes. For more information, visit Adoptive Families online: www.adoptivefamilies.com. To subscribe to Adoptive Families, call 800-372-3300.
