ADOPTING DOMESTICALLY VS. INTERNATIONALLY
Susan Griffith, SWA

The number of international adoption agencies has increased during the past few years and many domestic adoption agencies have added international programs as well. One reason for this growth is shorter waiting periods for a placement and the availability of healthy infants and toddlers. This availability of young children makes international adoption an option for adoptive parents over age 40 and single adults, who often cannot get accepted by domestic agencies, except when adopting older or special needs children. Single women can easily adopt internationally, whereas single men have fewer choices of agencies and countries willing to work with them.

“Open” adoptions and legal issues with birth parent’s rights, prevalent in domestic placements, leads many adoptive parents to choose international adoption as a way to reduce such involvement. Some prospective adoptive parents choose international adoption because they are uncomfortable with the concept of their child searching for birth parents. Studies of internationally adopted children who are now adults reveal they desire to search at similar rates as their domestically adopted peers, but are less successful.

International adoption is rarely cheap and often runs between $20,000.00 and $30,000.00. Domestic adoptions of waiting children may be free, while healthy white infant placements cost as much as $40,000.00. It is less likely a family will be able to locate an agency with sliding fees or assistance programs for international adoption. Most international adoptions require one or both parents to travel, often twice, sometimes for extended stays, adding expenses and time away from work. Often, this travel must be planned with relatively short notice and little flexibility. Travel for a domestic placement can usually be arranged based on adoptive parent’s schedules.

Major issues in all adoptions are the health, emotional condition, and long term adjustment of the adopted child. Some people decide to adopt internationally believing children available in other countries are less damaged than children available in this country. Other prospective parents avoid international adoption because they fear the children have misdiagnosed medical and emotional problems and permanent developmental delays. The truth about the condition of children in all adoptions varies by individual circumstances. A major disadvantage of international adoption is that accurate and complete histories about the child being adopted are rarely made available.

Full disclosure of records is mandated for domestic adoptions. Prospective adoptive parents must take advantage of information currently available, especially from those experienced in adoption, to educate themselves about the medical and emotional conditions they may encounter when selecting a child. They must apply this knowledge, whether choosing domestic or international adoption, to select the right child for their family.

Susan Griffith, SWA, is a contract adoption social work associate and adoptive mother of 12 children, including multi-racial/ethnic and special needs. She has been involved in adoption capacities since 1975.