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Michelle Chaney

Professor Moore

English 1301

28 October 2017

Divergent Families

It is common now a day to come across children who have been adopted from overseas.

Many seek alternatives to add to their already stable family or to simply gift a better life to a

child. In 2016, according to the Intercountry Adoption Bureau of Consular Affairs, there were

5,370 international adoptions in the United States. This is a decline from 2015, when there were

5,647 international adoptions. When getting ready to adopt, there are many things the adoptive

parents must do to prepare for the child. There are two different types of adoption: domestic

adoption and international adoption. International adoption is when a family from the United

States, adopts a child from another country. A few differences between the two are level of care

of the children, requirements to adopt, and cost.

The care of a foster child varies from country to country and this is due to cultural and

economic differences. Children who are being adopted from another country, more than likely

have lived in poor conditions with limited nutrition. These children may have been through a

traumatic event. It is very likely that the child was around infectious diseases. On the other hand,

some of these children have been well taken care of and are healthy. It is important for the

adoptive parents to review the childs medical history and his/her immunization records. Most of

the children who are waiting to be adopted from countries outside of the United States, are

placed in orphanages while waiting on a family. Some of these orphanages do not have the funds

to give all the children the medical attention they need. Nor do they have the funds to grant all
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the children the right nutrition. We have seen infants and children, unable to feed themselves,

left to starve because there is no one to feed them. In Romania and Turkey, we found teens who

weighed less than 30 pounds, said Laurie Ahern with The Washington Post. Babies in these

types of orphanages do not cry anymore because they have learned that no one is coming to

soothe them. Children who were born with medical issues go without the proper medical care

because the funds are just not there. According to Evan Solomon, This was her. In one of these

cribs. Tied to the side. When we got her she was eight months old and weighed less than 13 lb.,

badly underweight. These orphanages can cause long lasting psychological and physical

damage to these children. In some of these orphanages, children are sleeping on the floor with

only a blanket, some not even that.

The requirements to adopt overseas vary from country to country. Some families will find

it difficult to qualify and for others it can be an easy process. Age, marriages, and financial

backgrounds factor into any adoption process, especially an international adoption. Not everyone

will qualify to adopt from overseas. To apply to adopt internationally, one parent must be at

least 25 years old to be accepted. Neither of the parents can have more than two divorces per

person. Although, they must be married for one year before being able to apply. According to

AWAA.org, A familys financial history is assessed to include assets, liabilities, net worth,

income, and expenses. Additional information may be asked during the process. Just like any

application, if something is entered falsely, it could cause the adoptive parents to not be

accepted. When it comes to drug use and criminal issues, each case is investigated individually.

It is important for the adoptive parents to understand these requirements before starting the

process on what could be, an expensive journey.

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As most know, raising a child of ones own is not inexpensive, this fact does not change

when one decides to adopt. However, the costs between adopting from the United States VS out

of the country does vary. Efrat states, In summary, transaction costs have far-ranging

implications for the prospects of international adoption. When adopting internationally, the

adoptive parents most budget for a bit more than if they were to be adopting from the United

States. Adopting internally calls for a visa for the adoptee. The adoptive parents must make

many trips to the country in which they are adopting from that could range from days or weeks at

a time. If a family is adopting a baby that is not yet born, the family must travel to the city where

the birth mother is having the child and stay until the child is released from the hospital.

According to AmericanAdoptions.com, If the baby is born outside of the adoptive familys

state, the family must stay until ICPC approval has been granted, which usually takes seven to

ten business days. There are many fees included when adopting a child from another country,

which include application fee, home study fee, adoption program fee, dossier fee, post placement

fee, and travel for a child who needs to be escorted. These fees range depending on the agency.

The care of a child, requirements, and costs are some of the main elements to review

when considering international adoption. Adoptive parents must look over each component

before internationally adopting a child. Many families in the United States are willing to face the

challenges and costs to give a child a better living condition and future. No matter the cultural

and language differences the adoptive parent will go through, along with the adoptee, the

adoptive family will do what they need in order for the child to obtain a brighter and healthier

future.
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Works Cited

Adoptions, Inc. American. American Adoptions -- America's Adoption Agency. Adoption

Situations, www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/adopt_avail_entry. Accessed 10 Oct 2017

Ahern, Laurie. Orphanages Are No Place for Children. The Washington Post, WP Company, 9

Aug. 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/orphanages-are-no-place-for-

children/2013/08/09/6d502fb0-fadd-11e2-a369-

d1954abcb7e3_story.html?utm_term=.ca1d0d7006fe. Accessed 10 Oct 2017

America World Adoption Agency. America World Adoption, awaa.org/about/why-choose-us.

Accessed 10 Oct 2017.

Efrat, Asif, et al. "Babies across Borders: The Political Economy of International Child

Adoption." International Studies Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 3, Sept. 2015, pp. 615-628.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/isqu.12206. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.

Statistics. U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State,

travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/statistics.html. Accessed 11 Oct

2017.

Solomon, Evan. "Finding Our Place." Maclean's, vol. 128, no. 45, 16 Nov. 2015, p. 40.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=110724634&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 12 Oct 2017.