Adoption Tips For Senior Couples
By Pastor Claude Thomas | March 8, 2008
Author: Pauline Go
There are multiple reasons due to which many older couples in their 40s opt for adoption. The most common reason is infertility. However, there are parents who postpone starting a family till they were financially established. While some parents want to have a “second” family as their children have grown and left, others want to start a family after remarriage. Such parents can either look around for children in their home country called as domestic adoption or else choose one from overseas known as international adoption.
Domestic adoption is quite a tedious process that requires couples to wait for an extended duration of time till they have the child. International adoptions tend to get completed faster and generally encourage by the countries which are considered to be poor. Choice is wider for parents who are on a look out for a child to adopt since many children in these countries are abandoned or live in orphanages.
However, older couples opting for an international adoption have to primarily deal with adoption laws in the child’s country of origin, provincial adoption laws in the parents’ country of residence and immigration laws as the child is an immigrant. Apart from these, other problems worth considering include the language and cultural differences that are often difficult to get adjusted.
There are numerous private agencies that help in arranging for international adoptions. Most of these agencies have network and operations in more than one country. Before looking for a private agency, couple should be clear about the country from which child is going to be adopted, the age of the child, sex, race and health. Since requirements for adoption differ from country to country, it is important to have a clear understanding about the requirements of the desired country so as to make the process hassle free. A lot of paper work is required during the process of adoption, which is usually taken care by the private agency.
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Is International Adoption Getting Easier?
By Pastor Claude Thomas | March 8, 2008
Author: Callie Preisendorf
For adoptive parents looking to adopt internationally, new legislation may make this process easier. Since the U.S. is the world leader in international adoption, with almost 120,000 overseas adoptions in the last seven years and 19,292 adoptions in 2007, they are leading a new treaty and teaming with over 70 other nations to standardize policies and procedures in the international adoption industry.
This industry was once unregulated, which often lead to accusations of corruption with everything from hidden fees to child abductions and “selling” of children. This treaty, which was ratified December 12, 2007, is called the Hague Convention and will give the federal government and adoptive parents a chance to see which agency is accredited and thus safe to work with.
According to the treaty guidelines, each country has a central authority which will establish the ethics and policies, track records, and approve or deny adoption agencies’ accreditation. In the U.S. the central authority is the State Department.
With the treaty now ratified, more than 300 applications for accreditation have already been filed and others will be accepted until Feb. 15, 2008. The agencies will be evaluated based on size, qualifications of the staff, financial resources, and their policies. They must inform parents of their policies, and provide parents with the health and history of the child being adopted. This type of information was previously unavailable to those pursuing international adoption.
Although the U.S. will still allow adoption from countries not in compliance with the treaty, the government’s regulations will show if an adoption center is not accredited, which may be a warning sign for adoptive parents. This could prevent Americans from being involved in corrupted practices, which currently are rumored to occur in countries like Guatemala.
The treaty could slow the process down for some couples, but it will hopefully save many others from heartbreak from corrupted adoption agencies. Time will tell how effective this treaty will be, but hopefully it will allow federal regulation to increase the safety and legitimacy of international adoptions.
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