Pros & Cons of Foreign Adoptions
If you're having difficulty conceiving or simply prefer adoption, a foreign adoption may be the right choice for you. Foreign countries have a lot of children who come for adoption every year, and although there's a lot of paperwork, foreign adoptions can be easier than adopting domestically.
Other People Are Reading
-
A Child Guaranteed
-
One of the biggest positive aspects of a foreign adoption is that once you've completed the home study and been approved, you're guaranteed a child. This is not always true with U.S. adoptions.
The Benefit of Knowing
-
With a foreign adoption, you know a lot of things before you ever bring your baby home. You know the costs of the adoption and any other fees. You know the sex of your child, and you know the time it will take for you to hold a child in your arms. Usually, foreign adoptions take 12 to 18 months.
-
The Birth Mother
-
With a foreign adoption, the birth mother will never decide at the last minute that she wants to keep the baby. However, because unlike most U.S. adoptions you don't pay for care while the mother is pregnant, foreign mothers may have poor prenatal care, and you will not know the family's medical history. Your child will probably also never be able to trace her biological parents.
Developmental Delays
-
If you adopt an older child from a foreign country, he may experience developmental delays, but with a solid support system, children normally rebound quickly.
No Newborns
-
Not getting a newborn can be seen as a pro or a con. Because of the time the process requires, you will not get a newborn if you go through with a foreign adoption. Typically, the youngest child available through a foreign adoption is 4 months old.
Travel and Culture
-
You will have to travel to a foreign country to get your child. Your child may have a different cultural heritage than you do. Whether this is a pro or a con depends on your perspective.
-
