The Benefits of Domestic Adoption

Our mission at Adoptions With Love is to find the best home for each child, with families that are full of unconditional love and support. If you are here looking to start a family, or to expand your family, we can help. One of the first steps in becoming an adoptive parent is deciding whether you are going to adopt a child domestically or internationally.

There are many orphans overseas who need a family that can provide a nurturing and healthy environment. There are also many babies born right here in the United States that need a loving, stable family. The goal of adoption (wherever it may take place) is to fulfill these needs.

When adoptive parents first consider adoption, it is critical that they understand the dynamics of both domestic and international adoption.  While each option has different characteristics, there are several benefits to domestic adoption that make it a wonderful choice for aspiring parents:

Simplicity and Shorter Wait Times

International adoptions today are more difficult than they were twenty years ago. In fact, the number of international adoptions has dropped more than 60 percent in the last decade. Some countries, such as Guatemala and Russia, have closed inter-country adoptions altogether. Others now have stricter requirements, or do not have as many children available for adoption.  Wait times for international adoptions are also often long. The process is often slowed by travel and paperwork. The wait time for the placement of a healthy infant in China is currently five years, while the average wait time to adopt domestically with Adoptions With Love is about 6 to 18 months. Adoptions With Love is also currently working with a record number of expectant parents.

Budget & Travel

It is also important to consider budget when deciding between international and domestic adoption. With domestic adoption, families can avoid the international travel costs associated with international adoptions.  Many foreign countries require that adoptive parents make several trips back and forth before final placement, so travel and visa costs often add up quickly. Many years after the adoption is finalized, adoptive families often travel back to the country so that their child can understand his or her roots.

Information & History

Your adopted child will want to know his or her history. International adoptions may come with a lack of information. Certain details of your child’s birth history might be missing or unavailable—his or her ethnicity, who the birthparents are, and the medical history of the birth family are examples of information that may be left incomplete or inaccurate. This is often a big concern for families who adopt internationally. The information that adoptive parents receive is often unfinished or sometimes unreliable. The health records, genetic background, history of disease in the family, and possible exposure to drugs and alcohol while in the womb, are details that might remain unknown.

Families who adopt domestically through a licensed agency are provided with the medical and social backgrounds of the child before the adoption is finalized. By working with a licensed adoption agency such as Adoptions With Love, the prospective adoptive family may have the opportunity to meet and get to know the expectant/birth parent(s) of their adopted child. They may have the opportunity to ask them questions, and to gain a deeper understanding of their child’s history.

Flexibility with Open and Closed Adoptions

Some families choose to adopt internationally because they desire a closed adoption. By adopting outside the country, they do not have to consider the role that birth parents will play in the child’s life. They would prefer not to maintain communication with the birth family.  This is perfectly fine, and the right choice for some families. While closed adoptions are available domestically, adopting in the U.S. also creates the opportunity to build a more open relationship with the expectant/birth parents.  Open adoptions can be customized so that the birth parents receive regular updates on the adopted child through letters, phone calls, texting, email, or even face-to-face meetings.

Commitment

Many prospective adoptive parents often choose international adoption because they also worry about the heartbreak associated with birthparents changing their minds during the adoption process. Talking to adoption professionals and counselors who are experts in your area can help ease the domestic adoption process. The professionals at Adoptions With Love, for example, can help you navigate this process and we have legal contracts that secure the commitment of birth parents once the consents to adoption are signed.   In some situations, expectant/birth parents do change their minds, and do not sign the consents to the adoption, and that is their right.  A caring and sensitive professional will help you to grieve this loss and move forward.

Adoptions With Love has been assisting prospective adoptive  parents build their loving families for over 29 years. We can help you start the adoption process today.  We work with expectant/birth parents nationwide, and we currently have a record number of expectant birth parents considering adoption plans. Call us today at 1-800-722-7731 for more information regarding domestic adoptions. Together we can start designing a plan that feels right for both you and your family.