What is Adoption?
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, adoption is "the
permanent, legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from a
child’s birth parents to the adoptive parents" (Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services [LAC DCFS], 2014).
Types of Adoption
International Adoption
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Adoption through a Private Agency
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Independent Adoption Arranged with Child's Birth Parents
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Adoption of Children through Foster Care
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History of Adoption
According to Sarah Glazer, in the 1800's in the U.S. adoption became popular for a couple without children to have heirs (Glazer, 1993). Between that time and now, orphanages were very common but since then, most in the U.S. have been closed and their practices have been replaced by foster care and adoption. Orphanages still exist in other countries (Bergin & Bergin, 2012). In the 1960's and 1970's, adoption became less common because there were less babies available due to the legalization of abortion and the acceptability of single parents. Today the rights of birth fathers are an issue in adoption because a few adopted children such as Jessica DeBoer have been returned to their birth parents when their fathers later learned that they had a child in the world (Glazer, 1993).
Romanian Orphanages
In 1989, the world learned that Romanian orphans had been suffering horrendous conditions in orphanages for many years, yet after adoption, these children generally were able to improve.
Children adopted before they reached 6 months had normal attachment and were mostly normal in weight and social skills by the time they started school. Children adopted after 6 months also greatly improved, yet many had developmental problems until they turned 11. A third of these children did not attach to their parents, and behavior problems were more common (Bergin & Bergin, 2012). Check out the start of a 20/20 episode by ABC's John Upton that shows the shockingly poor conditions these children faced. |
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The End of Russian Adoptions by Americans
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On December 27, 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill, which bans Americans from adopting Russian children. There are nearly 250 American parents who had already been matched and gotten to know their child in Russia, yet they will be unable to adopt. This law causes many tough feelings because the parents are losing a child who they thought would be theirs. In addition to the emotional struggle, many families face economic setbacks as the average Russian adoption costs $50,000, which is not refundable. The process included making multiple trips to Russian to visit the child, meeting with many bureaucrats, and spending a 30-day waiting period with the child before returning to the U.S. (Herszenhorn & Eckholm, 2013). The adjoining video explains the heartache a couple of families are facing due to the situation.
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References
Bergin, C.C. & Bergin, D.A. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
California Department of Social Services. (2007). Adoption FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/pg1302.htm
Glazer, S. (1993). Adoption. CQ Researcher, 3(44), n.p.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. (2006). Domestic Agency Assisted Adoption Programs in Illinois. Retrieved from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/adoption/agencies/default.html.
Herszenhorn, D. & Eckholm, E. (2013, December 27). Putin signs bill that bars U.S. adoptions, upending families. The New York Times. n.pp.
Johnston, W. R. (2012, May 20). Historical statistics on adoption in the United States. Retrieved April 2013, from Johnston Archives: http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/adoptionstats.html
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2014). Building your family through adoption: A handbook and workbook. Los Angeles, CA: n.p.
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2014). Independent Adoptions. Retrieved from http://www.lacdcfs.org/adoptions/independent.html
U.S. Department of State, Office of Children's Issues. (2013). Intercountry adoption from A to Z. Washington, DC: n.p.
California Department of Social Services. (2007). Adoption FAQs. Retrieved from http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/pg1302.htm
Glazer, S. (1993). Adoption. CQ Researcher, 3(44), n.p.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. (2006). Domestic Agency Assisted Adoption Programs in Illinois. Retrieved from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/adoption/agencies/default.html.
Herszenhorn, D. & Eckholm, E. (2013, December 27). Putin signs bill that bars U.S. adoptions, upending families. The New York Times. n.pp.
Johnston, W. R. (2012, May 20). Historical statistics on adoption in the United States. Retrieved April 2013, from Johnston Archives: http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/adoptionstats.html
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2014). Building your family through adoption: A handbook and workbook. Los Angeles, CA: n.p.
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. (2014). Independent Adoptions. Retrieved from http://www.lacdcfs.org/adoptions/independent.html
U.S. Department of State, Office of Children's Issues. (2013). Intercountry adoption from A to Z. Washington, DC: n.p.
Illinois State University |TCH 210 Sec 001 Spring 2014 | Amy Frederick, Spanish Education | Grace Heim, Speech-Language Pathology & Spanish | Created 3/26/2014 | Last Updated 4/24/2014