Pros And Cons Of International Adoption

Over the years, there have been many questions arising whether adults should adopt domestically or internationally. When adoption first became the norm, people did not see the difference between adopting within the United States and adopting from a foreign country. At first, adoption was a shameful secret that families tried to mask. But now in recent times, adoption is seen as a praiseworthy decision. Lately however, there have been strong viewpoints either going for or against adopting internationally. Proponents of adopting domestically believe that going abroad to adopt is risky and leaves the possibility that fraud could occur. They see the risk of adopting an undocumented and unhealthy child as the biggest consequence and want to prevent
In fact, some celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon to state their support and approval for adopting internationally. The first major celebrity to call attention to the need to adopt internationally was Angelina Jolie who, as of today, has adopted 4 children from different countries. Because of this, Jolie is trying to highlight how children of different races are just children and their race does not define who they become (Rodriguez). Making international adoptions the norm emphasizes a diverse society that eliminates xenophobia and the negative stigma that some people put on minorities. Proponents of international adoption also argue that the horror stories people hear about aren’t true. In fact, it’s cited that out of the one hundred cases of the alleged adoption frauds considered “baby stealing,” about five of them have been confirmed true (Stossel). Because of this, the majority of these scares can be proven untrue by mere facts, making adults feeling safer when choosing children from foreign countries. Furthermore, requiring lengthy documents and extraneous interviews ensures that a child is safe and going to a loving home. Before beginning this process, adults understand how rigorous the paperwork is and how much time is allocated to review all documentation. If these adults looking for children to adopt do not want to
That being said, agencies for adults seeking adoptions should provide information on domestic children that can be adopted (i.e. children in foster homes, children not born yet, and children in need of a better life). However, agencies should not shy away from adopting internationally. In offices and online, they should distribute facts, data, and any new information about the pros and cons of adopting internationally so soon to be parents can feel confident when deciding on children that is available. This aids to the opponents of international adoption because it puts domestic children in need of homes before the international children, giving adults more options. In lieu of that, proponents of adopting internationally will benefit because it does not set any limitations on their adoption process. Another idea that can be introduced is the creation of more international agencies. The agencies that deal specifically with international agencies will be experts on where, when, and who adults can adopt, eliminating corruption within the system. This does not go against the challengers of international adoption because these people want to fix the process of international adoption, not outlaw it all together. With this