[tobeafamily]

In domestic parental placement adoptions, prospective adoptive parents are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act. You would not provide your medical records to your homestudy provider, you would instead provide a statement from your physician (usually a form they have for the MD to fill out) that you are capable physically and emotionally to care for a child and that you have a reasonable expectation of living until that child reaches adulthood.

Prospective birth parents do not see your home study or have information provided to them by adoption professionals about your medical status. They are only aware that a homestudy has been completed satisfactorially. You may choose whether to disclose further information to any pbfamily who you are considering connecting with or not.

You should always be completely honest with your homestudy provider as that behavior conveys trustworthiness. Lying is viewed much more negatively than any possible 'negative' issues in your lives.

In our case, DH is a recovering addict. We felt it was important to disclose that right away, he talked about his addiction, how he overcame it, how he manages now (16 years clean) and how he would use his experience in parenting. We also disclosed this to our son's bfamily, who had no issues. Our son's birth grandfather is a recovering alcoholic who is 2 years younger than DH. I think DH's honesty and experience really resonated with BGF and helped us build a bridge.

HTH, sorry I can't answer about international adoption, only domestic parental placement.

Regina