[JulianChristian]

Does anyone know if it is possible to adopt a baby in Portugal? My husband was born in Portugal and his family has a house near Lisbon so I thought I would inquire. From what I've read, it seems that there are thousands of waiting adoptive parents but only a couple hundred children available for adoption each year in the entire country of Portugal. Can anyone confirm this?

We are having a hard time deciding which country to adopt from. Korea is at the top of our list because of not having to travel there, the foster care the infants receive is a plus, and the children receive good health care. I have looked into Colombia because I lived there as a child, but the paperwork seems very intensive, the wait for referral is long, and the stay in-country is long.

Does anyone have a country they would recommend above all others?

[sak9645]

You are correct in assuming that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to adopt a child from Portugal.

Most Western European countries, like Portugal, and most of the English-speaking countries such as Ireland, are very similar to the U.S. with regard to the availability of children for adoption.

In short, they have far fewer healthy infants available for adoption than there are citizens of those countries who wish to adopt them. Citizens of those countries, facing long waits for domestic adoption, often go overseas to lcountries like Korea, Russia, China, Guatemala, and Ethiopia just as Americans do. So foreigners have almost no chance of adopting babies from those countries.

Foreigners MAY be able to adopt school aged children and/or children with significant special needs from Portugal and other Western European and English-speaking countries, just as non-Americans sometimes adopt older and special needs children from the U.S. foster care system.

The reasons for this situation are obvious. First off, most Western European and English-speaking countries are relatively prosperous. Most people do not have a problem putting food on the table. In other countries, babies often become available for international adoption because parents are so poor that they simply cannot afford another mouth to feed, and people in the community who might be receptive to adoption also cannot afford to raise another child.

Western European countries and the English-speaking countries also tend to have a very low birthrate. You simply don't see that many families where a Mom has eight children by the time she is 30, and simply cannot take care of them all, as happens in countries like Guatemala.

Western European countries and the English-speaking countries tend to have a "social safety net" for their poorest citizens. Just as people in this country can obtain welfare payments, food stamps, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing, if they are in tough economic circumstances, other Western governments also tend to provide for people who are down on their luck. Many other countries simply cannot afford to do so.

Western European and English-speaking countries have also been fairly fortunate with regard to wars on their soil and major natural disasters. In countries like Ethiopia, wars have orphaned many children, and in countries like India and El Salvador, earthquakes, floods, and so on have also killed parents, leaving children who have no place to call home.

In addition, people in Western European and English-speaking countries tend to be more receptive to adoption, including adoption of children of another race, than people in some other countries. In some countries, the concept of the "blood tie" is so strong that people simply can't imagine giving an unrelated child their last names, their inheritance rights, and so on. And although prejudice is not unknown in the West, people in some other countries are even more unwilling to raise a child of another race or ethnicity. As an example, in some Latin countries, people of European extraction do not tend to adopt the many available children of the indigenous ("Indian") population.

Some Western European and English-speaking countries also have strict adoption laws that make it difficult for foreigners to adopt. As an example, even if there were Irish children in need of homes, an American would have to live in the country for a year, even to be considered a candidate for adopting one.

The good news is that adoptable children are available in many countries of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

No country is "perfect" for everyone considering adoption. Aside from the fact that a family may not qualify to adopt from certain countries, each country's adoption system has its strong points and downsides, and the family has to do some research and soul-searching to find which country is best, given its concerns.

That being said, Korea is an excellent choice for a family considering adoption -- and especially for a family that is concerned about the instability of some country's adoption systems. Korea has been placing children with Americans for over 50 years, and its program is stable, organized, and ethical.

Many people like Korean adoption because it is possible to adopt a baby who will be under a year old when he/she comes home. Korea has developed an excellent, well-supervised program of foster care for orphans, so that most will be housed with genuinely concerned and loving families, while awaiting adoption.

Korea also is a prosperous country, and one that has a medical system that is very Western. Many families like the fact that most of Korea's adoptable children get good diagnostic and therapeutic services prior to their adoption, and that Korean medical records tend to be quite reliable.

Many families like Korea because it permits children to be escorted to the U.S. under a decree of guardianship,for adoption here. In the "old days", Korea insisted on escort, so that the prospective parents would not be fatigued, jet lagged, and stressed by being in a new culture when they met their children.

Nowadays, however, Korea is beginning to understand that it is beneficial for parents to travel, so that they develop an appreciation for their child's culture that they can share with him/her as he grows up. While escort is still permitted, increasing numbers of parents are making a brief trip -- under a week -- to Korea to bring their children home.

On the other hand, not everyone is suited to parent a child from Korea. Korea has some of the strictest requirements for parents of any country that allows adoption. As an example, prospective parents must be under 45, must have been married at least three years, must have no more than four other children, and must be in very good health.

Of course, not every family is equipped to parent transracially, and Korea may not be a good option for Caucasians concerned about being a "conspicuous" family or about what their family members will say. In addition, it may not be a good option for people living in a community where there will be few positive Korean role models for their children

Korea may not be a good option for some childless couples who want to adopt girls. Most of the Korea programs do not allow childless couples to specify gender. And since more boys than girls are available, it is highly likely that the child referred to a childless couple will be a boy.

Korea may also not work for families living in states that do not have agencies with a Korea contract, or who want considerable freedom of choice in selecting an agency.

You see, with most countries, an American can work with an agency located anywhere in the U.S., as long as he/she has a locally done homestudy. Korea, however, requires families to work with an agency that has a contract with the Korean government to place children from their state, unless they wish to adopt a child with a significant special need. Not all U.S. states have agencies serving them, and most states have at most two or three choices of agency.

The good news, however, is that most of the agencies with Korea contracts have been handling Korean adoptions for years, and are quite reputable.

If you are not eligible for Korea, or decide against this country for some reason, there are many other options. One way to get a sense of what countries are open to adoption and preferred by Americans is to look at the website of the U.S. State Department, which tracks adoption visas, by country and by year.

You will see that for FY 2004, the most popular countries among Americans were:

1. China (7,044 adoption visas)
2. Russia (5,865)
3. Guatemala (3,264)
4. South Korea (1,716)
5. Kazakhstan (826)
6. Ukraine (723)
7. India (406)
8. Haiti (356)
9. Ethiopia (289)
10. Colombia (287)

I hope this helps.

Sharon