Falling in love and getting married is a rite of passage that many hope to experience at some point in life. After a person finds the partner that they intend to spend the rest of their life with, the natural progression is to have children and begin building a family. However, when a couple cannot conceive a child of their own, life can seem very unfair and frustrating.
As technology has become more advanced, there are various options to help a couple through the fertility process. From In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to seeking a willing surrogate, there are medical options available to parents who desperately want to have children of their own. Typically, parents gravitate towards these sometimes evasive and expensive methods because they hope to have children who will share similar genetic and physical characteristics. However, with the high number of orphaned children in the United States and across the world, another great option is adoption.
Adoption Statistics
According to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), there are 17,900,000 orphans around the world who lack the care and attention they deserve. It is truly wonderful when two parents who want to shower a child with love and affection are matched up with a child who desperately wants both. In 2012, more than 7,000 children were adopted in the United States. Although adoption is mutually beneficial to both the child and new parents, it is important to be thorough and careful when embarking on the adoption process.
Adoption can be a Complex Process
There are several reputable adoption agencies and organizations that a couple may reach out to for adoption services. When a couple has exhausted all funds and options to have their own child, their judgment can become clouded. Unfortunately, people take advantage of this and there are companies out there that offer their adoption services for what may seem like a discounted rate. In reality, these non-accredited agencies are often more concerned with placing as many children with parents as they can for monetary purposes, and do not take into account the rights of the children and birth parents. This can result in several complications and not much legal recourse available to both the birth parents and adoptive parents.
Parents can avoid being the victim of a deceitful adoption by understanding the distinction between an adoption agency and an adoption facilitator. An accredited adoption agency is licensed and authorized by the United States government and the foreign government of the country that the child is from. Thus, there are several legal standards the adoption agency must abide by while also facing close monitoring of their actions. More importantly, if complications do arise during the adoption process, there is a licensing authority that adoptive and birth parents can voice their grievances to.
If you or a loved one is contemplating adoption, it is best to seek the advice of an experienced Wheaton adoption attorney. The lawyers at Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C. can assist you through the adoption process and make sure it goes smoothly.
