[Ramsey08]

I was wondering. My DH & I are currently hoping to try to adopt a child. We're looking to adopt in Australia, England or Ireland. I'm looking for someone to talk to who know the basic thing's I need to do first to start the process.

[ocracoke]

I was not aware that any of those countries did international adoption. They are not listed on the state department website as countries we can adopt from.

Samantha

[karla-k]

The first thing you need to find out is if those countries allow their children to be adopted internationally. Not all countries allow this. I am not sure about the 3 you mentioned.

If a country is stable, and industrialized there may be more than enough families willing and able to adopt the children of that country domestically.

Are you interested in caucasian children? there are many countries that have caucasian children that are open to international adoption.

[sak9645]

The issue is not whether these countries allow adoption. The issue is that there are very few children available -- far too few even for citizens of those countries who want to adopt, and who would have priority. People in the English-speaking countries and Western Europe tend to go to Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, just as Americans do, when they want to adopt and find long waiting lists at home.

The reasons for the absence of relatively healthy infants for adoption in the U.S., the other English speaking countries, and Western Europe are many. Here are just a few reasons:

1. These countries are very prosperous, when compared with the countries from which people adopt internationally. Very few people place children for adoption because of poverty. In many of the countries from which Americans adopt, there is a level of poverty that few Americans will ever experience.

2. These countries have a very low birth rate. People in the English speaking world and Western Europe have a much lower birth rate than people in many of the countries from which Americans adopt. They rarely have more children than they can parent. The reasons have to do with prosperity, education, availability of contraception, and so on.

3. These countries have been relatively free of natural and manmade disasters in recent years, unlike countries like India, Ethiopia, and so on. Some countries have been ravaged by war, crop failure, infectious disease, floods, and earthquakes, and many children have lost not only parents but also other relatives and community members who might care for them.

4. The English-speaking countries and Western Europe tend to have a strong social safety net for the poor. When the government helps people with food, shelter, and other necessities, they have less need to abandon or place their children for adoption. Many countries are too poor to offer support for those families who lack enough to eat, a place to live, and so on.

5. The English-speaking and Western European countries tend to view adoption relatively positively. While there may be some individuals who are averse to the idea of adopting someone who is "not of their blood", most people consider adoption as an appropriate way to form a family. As a result, domestic adoption occurs often enough that the few healthy infants available for adoption are placed quickly; the children staying in foster care, group homes, or orphanages are usually those with physical, mental, or emotional challenges or those who are of school age. In many other countries, adoption is stigmatized, and it is not at all common for people to adopt non-relatives.

If you truly want to adopt a young and reasonably healthy child, I would strongly recommend that you look to the countries where there are many children in need of homes. The U.S. State Department website can give you an idea of the countries where most Americans adopt, and their laws and requirements.

Of course, if you are open to a school aged child or a child with significant special needs, you can adopt through the U.S. foster care system or from most countries in the world that permit adoption.


Sharon

[DPline]

This link might be a place to start researching.

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