Myths of Domestic Adoption

2038-01-19T03:14:07Z

This article is from the latest newsletter from the American Adoptions newsletter.

********************************

For the past few years, international adoption has basked in the celebrity spotlight, as one after the other, stars like Madonna and Angelina Jolie have gone across the big pond to adopt. Combine this with the fact that adopting a baby domestically is fraught with myths, untruths and outdated ideas, and it becomes easy to see how international adoption might initially seem more enticing than adopting a baby from the U.S.

The reality about contemporary, domestic adoption is far from what most people understand, but ideas are evolving - just not as dramatically as the reality of domestic adoption has! If you have decided to speak with those around you about your decision to adopt, you will find that many - if not most - people have very inaccurate understandings about the adoption process. Learn the facts, and take it upon yourself to serve as a proponent for contemporary adoption.

Myth: It takes years to complete a domestic adoption - families can wait five years or more for a baby.
Reality: Currently, approximately 90 percent of American Adoptions' families adopt between 1 to 18 months or less. According to Adoptive Families magazine, the average wait in a domestic adoption is less than two years.

Myth: Domestic adoption is far more expensive than international adoption.
Reality: According to the National Council for Adoption, domestic adoptions typically range from $8,000-$40,000, more commonly falling between $15,000-$25,0000.

Myth: The babies that are available for domestic adoption all either have special needs or have been exposed to drugs or alcohol.
Reality: Expectant mothers most often choose to place their baby for adoption due to a lack of resources, not because the child has special needs or due to a substance abuse problem. American Adoptions works with all kinds of expectant mothers, from all walks of life - we have worked with married couples, single mothers who already have children in the home, college students, young professionals and teenagers.

Myth: Birth parents can come back at anytime and take back the child.
Reality: Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive family is recognized as the child's family by law. Although adoption laws vary state to state, the laws remain very clear. Despite sensationalized media stories in a few high-profile cases, post-adoption revocations are extremely rare and are usually a result of illegal or unsound legal practices.

Myth: There are very few babies being placed for adoption in the United States.
Reality: According to the National Council for Adoption, 20,000 or more U.S.-born infants are placed for adoption each year. As of the 2000 Census, there were 1.5 million children under the age of 18 - 2 percent of all children in the U.S. - who joined their family through adoption.

Our Path to Adoption

Myths of Domestic Adoption