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Understanding domestic and international adoptions

On Behalf of | Jan 5, 2014 | Uncategorized

Houston couples that long to adopt a child in their quest to become parents face many decisions along the way. One of the first such decisions for many families is whether to choose a domestic adoption or an international adoption. There is no right or wrong to either decision but each does have its own unique set of challenges and adoption issues. Understanding this before going too far down any given path can be very important for prospective adoptive parents.

International adoptions have been getting a lot of publicity recently but a current news article actually indicates that the majority of all adoptions in the United States are actually domestic. The author reports that approximately 125,000 adoptions are recorded in the U.S. annually and, of those, only about 9,000 are international adoptions. Stepparent adoption and foster care adoption rates tie for first place with roughly 50,000 adoptions per year each. About 15,000 babies are adopted domestically on a yearly basis.

The article also indicates that the cost for a domestic adoption is comparable to an international adoption and that the rate of birth mothers changing their minds on their choices to adopt out their babies is not as high as many people may believe. These can sometimes be reasons parents choose international adoptions instead of domestic but they may not be truly valid reasons to do so. One area of difference is that adoptive families generally have less communication with birth families in an international adoption.

No matter which type of adoption you may be considering, working with a private attorney may be helpful for you as you navigate the sometimes challenging and emotional process.

Source: The Register-Mail, “Most adoptions in U.S. domestic,” Allison Goodrich, December 22, 2013

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