Why do Americans prefer foreign adoptions over domestic ones?

Question

I know of several couples who have adopted children -- not infants -- from overseas, such as Guatamala, Russia and Liberia. I know it's very difficult to adopt an American infant, and I'm wondering what keeps American couples from adopting American children out of foster care or from an agency?

Answer 1

We adopted internationally because we wanted a toddler and we scared to adopt from the foster care system. I have heard too many horror stories about the abuse, neglect, emotional, drug related problems associated with many kids in foster care and realized our family was not prepared to deal with the extra baggage. Yes I feel those kids are the ones that need a stable, loving family the most but I have doubts that I would be able to deal with their problems and still be there for my bio kids.
That is not to say that if any of my kids develop a problem I won't deal with it, it is just I didn't want to voluntarily put myself in that situation.
The orphanages overseas are not all bad, there are some that charities help run and are quite good. They also have foster care systems that some of the special needs children go into. But unfortunately there are bad orphanages and bad foster families too.

Answer 2

We are choosing to adopt from Hungary. The reasons for this are: my husband was born in Hungary and chose to live here when we married. So, we can offer the child his/her cultural heritage which is a bonus. We are not adopting an infant, rather a child 3 years of age. As an adoptive mother, I am open to a child knowing of his/her origins. It is a confusing situation though, and difficult to say the least, to choose through the different adoption options out there in America: open adoption, semi-open and closed adoptions. There is no blanket study saying which choice is better for the family, as there have been difficulties in each, for example, in a closed adoption scenerio, there have been cases of adoptees not learning the truth of their origins until much later in life, which causes much pain and grief. In open and semi open adoptions, there have been situations where birth mothers have opted out of a child's life after a period of time, which is equally traumatic. These situations are not foreign to international adoptions, as birth parents and adoptees have been reunited in the past, albeit rarely. On the whole, I believe that adoption is a positive thing, and that location means very little. I think that pain and difficulty goes hand in hand with raising a family, and while the problems may be different between biological and adoptive families, they are not insurmountable. There are many ways for families to be brought together, and if one is not necessarily wanting an infant, international adoption is a wonderful option to start a family. It is important however, that the children know where they come from, that their birth mother is not a bad person, and that the child was not put up for adoption because he/she is bad in some way. As for the wait, let's just say our international adoption has been quite expensive, so we weren't necessarily going for a "cheap" option; also, we are almost on the waiting list; our documents are on their way from the translator to the ministry- just over a year after we began with our agency. Is international adoption a viable option? YES! Is it necessarily easier or faster than domestic adoption? NO!

Answer 3

Well I was adopted and I know that I want to adopt. My dream is to adopt a daughter from Cambodia. I want to adopt internationally because there is no one to take those children. American babies get snapped up right away, there is always someone waiting for a newborn here. Even many infants and toddlers get adopted. Its the older children who wait and wait. But, internationally, there is no one for these children. The orphanges are just overflowing with unwanted children and most of them will never have parents. If I adopt an American baby, there are probably 4 other couples who dont get a child. I mean, American babies who are given up for adoption are always adopted, its not like they go into foster care for years. I'd rather bring a child into my home that has no chance, you know? The amount of love I would have for the child is same whether its born American or something else. Personally, I want to take a child out of a bad place and give them a chance to have a good future.

Answer 4

It is quite hard to adopt babies in America and those children in the US that are not adopted are usually very well cared for by orphanages or foster families.

Over in other, poorer, parts of the world, the children are less fortunate. In places like China, there is very little chance that you will be adopted by anyone in the surrounding area. The orphanages are way overcrowded and the children do not get all of the loving care that they deserve.

Because we have empathy, we feel bad for the children in foreign countries that have such a little chance of being truly cared for. There is also a much higher chance that you will be able to adopt a baby and not an older child.

Answer 5

Realistically we do not have orphanages in the US any longer. We have a foster care system the helps unite children with willing families. Babies and small children are adopted almost immediately resulting in long waiting lists of people willing to adopt. Which is a reason why I find things like late term abortions really sad. There are loving families who have been waiting for years to adopt. Older children and teens generally have more trouble finding homes as they may be more unstable due to abuse and/or unwilling to accept the authority of their new guardians. Though foster care has problems, it is far superior compared to the real orphanages in third world countries. There the children are underfed, uneducated, and are housed like cattle.

Answer 6

We adopted both of our children internationally. We did originally look into adopting a school age child from foster care though. After a lot of research we really felt that for many reasons, including the fact that we were in our mid-twenties, and going to be first time parents, that we would be better able to meet the needs of a younger child. Many of the children already available for adoption from foster care are older, sometimes part of a sibling group, and "special needs" due to everything they've been through. We do hope someday, we will be in a possition to adopt an older child, possibly from foster care.
With domestic adoption, we knew that there were already more couples in the US waiting to adopt then there were expectant mothers considering placing there children for adoption. We also had some ethical concerns, and knew that there were many uncertainties involved.
Adopting from Korea we could adopt a child who was already in existance, and who's mother had already made her decision to place her child after he was born, and a few months went by before we were "matched" with the child. (anytime during those first 6 months she could have chosen to raise the baby before he left for the US) For us the one major down side of international adoption is not having contact with their "first mothers". We have sent letters and pictures for them through our agency, and truely hope that some day our sons will be able to meet them. The adoptive families that I know have expressed the same feelings.

Answer 7

Statistically most adoptions are done from the various state's child welfare systems (about 60% of all adoptions). About 25% are International and the rest are domestic infant.

You are taking a small sampling, the people you know, and extrapolating that to everyone, when it simply isn't the case.

Answer 8

The foremost reason is to avoid "birth mama drama." The second reason is that it is easier to obtain a child. Many adoptive parents feel a certain entitlement when it comes to raising a child. It is becoming a battle between rights in this country. The right to adopt vs. the right to raise one's own children.

Many adoptive parents want that infant not a child that is older.

Answer 9

I was recently at a gathering where there was a woman with 2 children adopted from China...who began talking with a man who had adopted a baby from Mongolia. They were bragging about adopting these children! Maybe they've adopted children that cannot be confused as their own biological children because they need the admiration of others. I am one of the three children that my parents adopted. They never needed, nor asked for, a pat on the back from anyone about it.

Answer 10

It may not be that they prefer to adopt from overseas, but the regulations and time factor would be very positive where it would take much longer in the US. Not to mention some of the children from other countries are definitely in need of people who can afford to support them and raise them