2023 TOP 10 COMMON ADOPTION QUESTIONS ANSWERED HONESTLY BY THE COMMUNITY SEPARATED BY ADOPTION:
Want to adopt? Don’t know where to begin? Curious about the adoption industry behind the scenes? Questions to ask yourself before you pay the big deposit.
Ask yourself why do you want to adopt? Some adoption agencies will play on your feelings of vulnerability or deep wanting for a child in order to have you pay the non-refundable deposit because, at the end of the day, it is a business, and they want to make atransaction. We recommend couples counseling because many realize they want to adopt to fill the void of not having a child of their own and/or think a child will 'save' or 'fix' their marriage. Watch out for the 'honeymoon' stage after adoption, where many adoptive parents feel disappointed and guilty for not wanting (or liking) the child they adopted. Many children have been rehomed. To many human rights proponents, this underground method of moving children is seen as another form of abandonment and child trafficking.
People choose adoption because of infertility or wish to 'expand' their family. How do adopted people feel about this? Read Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists.
Adoption requirements vary by jurisdiction and agency, but generally, people who are financially well off. Some critics say, 'adoption is taking from the poor and selling to the rich'.
Adoption agencies price the child 'service fees' according to a child's race and can cost $40-50,000, sometimes as far as $60,00-$80,000. Some say the adoption industry creates the demand for infants.
The USDA estimates the parents spend between $15,438 and $17,375 a year.
The adoption process duration can vary greatly, ranging from several months to a few years, depending on the type of adoption, the country's regulations (in the case of international adoption), and other factors.
Adoption trafficking intersects child trafficking and international adoption, which includes buying, selling, and transporting children for adoption, often exploiting vulnerable poor parents in rural areas of the world and adoptive families for financial gain.
Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Information Network (ATTWIN), initiated in 2011, is a unique outreach platform that aims to bridge the gap between adoptees, mothers, fathers, & families separated by adoption. Simply put, our goal is to create a place that gives a realistic, well-rounded perspective on the adoption experience and policies. Members include domestic, late-discovery, transracial, internationally adopted people, and families separated by adoption from every continent.
The advantages of having an expanded bird's eye view of the industry include support from and for others placed in similar situations and connection with fellow equal-rights advocates and activists.
Adoption: What You Should Know
Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Information Network