“A survey conducted by the Evans D. Donaldson Institute found that six out of ten Americans” have had a ‘personal experience’ with adoption (Dudley 1). With such a high percentage, it is important for one to understand the issues entwined with open and closed adoptions. In the United States today, closed adoptions are associated with secrecy and shame, leading to long-term emotional problems for children and parents. The basic idea of open adoptions allows the child to know his or her birth parents' identities. In addition, information is not permanently concealed in a government file. Open adoptions allow “the birth parent or parents to meet the prospective adoptive parents, participate in the adoption process, and maintain contact with the child and adoptive family after the child is born and adopted.” Because of laws written long ago and the practice of closed adoptions, the right to obtain one’s original birth certificate is restricted in all states but six. In the past, the reasoning in support of the laws was the adoptees would be secure in their new families and wouldn’t need to know where their roots existed. Over time, the practice of closed adoptions has presented major complications, questioning of civil rights, long-term emotional problems, and loss of identity. Within the issue of open and closed adoption, every state should pass legislation allowing adoptees to seek out their biological parents when they turn eighteen.
National coordinator of National Adoptee Rights Day, founder of Voices of Adoption, and an adopted adult, Denise K. Castellucci argues that “adoption should never ask any human being to trade their…right to know the true facts of one’s own birth in return for a promise of a stable and loving home” (Ca...
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Garcia, Monique, and Bonnie Miller Rubin. "Adoptees Get to See
Birth Certificates: New State Law Eases Secrecy, but Birth Parents Can Opt Out." Chicago Tribune 22 May 2010. 1. SIRS. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
Gritter, James L. "An Open Adoption Policy is Best." Opposing Viewpoints: Adoption. Ed. Roman Espejo. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, 2002. 137-46. Print.
"Illinois Legislature passes major change in adoption privacy law." Policy & Practice June 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
"Introduction to Issues in Adoption: Current Controversies." Issues in Adoptions 2004. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
Scharnberg, Kirsten. "Laws Ease Adoptees' Search for Their Past." Chicago Tribune 20 Jan 2005. SIRS. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations, Web. 30 Nov 2011.
Dukette, R. Perspectives for agency response to the adoption record controversy. Child Welfare 54(8):545-555, September-October 1975.
Stolley, K.S. (1993). Statistics on adoption in the United States. The Future of Children: Adoption, 3(1), 26-42
Since 1972, the issues surrounding the rights of unwed birthfathers have provided America with a highly controversial and morally challenging topic for debate. Prior to 1972, these unwed fathers were given little or no involvement in their child’s adoption proceedings, but because of highly publicized adoption cases in which birthfathers have retained custody of their child many years after their adoption took place, state legislatures have been forced to review their adoption laws regarding birthfathers and create more concrete ones. The laws in Florida regarding birthfathers have changed dramatically over the past several years, with complicating, senseless laws being replaced with more rational and reliable ones. The newest laws, passed in 2003 regarding a Putative father registry provide the most stable and fair support for legal adoption proceedings.
Adoption is a process where by a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the biological parent or parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. Adoption has changed considerably over the centuries with its focus shifting from adult adoption and inheritance issues toward children and family creation; its structure moving from recognition of continuity between the adopted and kin toward allowing relationships of lessened intensity. In modern times, adoption is a primary vehicle serving the needs of homeless, neglected, abused and runaway children (Wikipedia, “Adoption”).
First, social-work and mental-health experts have reached a consensus during the last decade that greater openness offers an array of benefits for adoptees—from ongoing information about family medical issues to fulfillment of their innate desire to know about their genetic histories—even if the expanded relationships prove difficult or uncomfortable for some of the participants (Verbrugge). An open adoption is when the natural mother and the adoptive family know the identity of each other and could obtain background or medical history from the biological parent. In an open adoption the parental rights of biological parents are terminated, as it is in a closed adoption, but an open adoptio...
...cy “we” give “birth mother” and agencies being exposed because of what we might find in adoptees records is just a way to keep stuff away from the people who rightfully deserve the right to know. (The Baltimore Sun ).
Fleming, Caroline B. "The open-records debate: balancing the interests of birth parents and adult adoptees." William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law Spring (2005): 461-480. Academic OneFile. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.
Many people grow up in loving families and cannot imagine not having their parents and siblings around, but each year, 18,000 or more American born babies are put up for adoption (Newlin Carney). That means at least 18,000 children face the harsh truth of maybe not having a family to grow up in. Childhood is a very important part of one’s life and helps shape who one is. These children that are eligible to be adopted just need loving parents, good homes, and stability. And who is to say the high price of adopting is not ho...
McRoy, R., Grotevant, H., Furuta, A., & Lopez, S. (1990). Adoption Revelation and Communication Issues: Implications for Practice. Families in Society, 71, 550-557.
The topic of child welfare is quite a broad one. There are numerous programs and policies that have been put in place to protect children. One of these policies is that of Adoption. Adoption was put into place to provide alternate care for children who cannot live with their biological families for various reasons. One of the more controversial issues surrounding adoption is that of Transracial adoption. Transracial Adoption is the joining of racially different parents and children (Silverman, 1993).
Adoption is governed individually by each state, Kansas and Alaska allow adult adoptees full and unconditional access to original birth records. There are many campaigns that support the right to find adoptees’ birth parents. One of these campaigns is the green ribbon campaign. This campaign fights for the opening of any and all birth records in every state. “A number of large adoption agencies are major supporters of the so-called Uniform Adoption Act of 1994 (UAA) that would reinforce and enlarge secrecy provisions of adoption law”(about.com, 2). Many courts including the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals have heard cases that pertain to the opening of birth records of adoptees’.
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Adoption recently has caused a hot-spot debate in Australia . Mr Rudd just argued that we should maintain the policy but I don’t agree with him. I am sure many of you are not satisfied with the current situation because we all clear this is not a great one. Adoption is so important because it is a way to change children’s lives. This debate is not about me and Mr Rudd; it’s about you and these children so you should make the best choice. For too long this policy has been disadvantaged to the children who are adopted or going to be adopted and those foster families. It’s the time to change. Relaxing the regulation of adoption within Australia and from overseas will be one of the liberal party’s aiming next term if I get your support. And let me tell you why choosing to relax adoption’s regulation is stepping up in the right direction to change.
“American society and as more Americans have experience with adoption, there is also more attention focused on those involved in adoption- the adopted person, the birth parents, and the adoptive parents” (Child welfare Information gateway, 2016). Seeing that more and more Americans are adopting it is important to look at how a child’s emotional development can be impacted by adoption. The first is the development of their identity. Research as shown heat identity is difficult for anyone, however being adopted can have an added impact on one’s identity. The adopted child can began to ask questions like, “why was I placed for adoption? what is my place?, who do I look like?, do I have any siblings that could relate to me?” (Child welfare Information gateway, 2013). The adoptive child who then becomes an adult has gone through five stages according to article by the child welfare. The first is they do not acknowledge any adoption issues, the second ...
... to fairly enforce such a program. This objection was backed by multiple scenarios which demonstrated that most punishments are implausible. In response to this objection, I discussed Lafollette’s idea of removing children and putting them up for adoption. This plan involved orphanages or third party adoption indefinitely or until their biological parents became licensed. I also formulated an enforcement plan consisting of heavy fines and jail time for unauthorized children. Although this plan is harsh, it is fair and enforceable, thereby refuting the objection that there is no way to enforce parent certification. This paper discussed objections and responses to Lafollette’s argument which concluded in the reaffirmation that parent licensing is a possibility.
International adoption stunts the growth of domestic adoption in the United States. While many kids are available for adoption in the U.S, more kids are being adopted internationally. The reason for this may be because “many people choose to adopt internationally because there is a less chance that the biological parents will try to find their children later in life; whereas if adopted in America, there is a greater chance that the biological parents will search for the child” (Databasewise.n.d.pp 1-2). Not only do the adoptive parents want to be sure that the biological parents do not find their biological child, but they also want to avoid confrontations that can eventually have volatile results. Since there is a great need for domestic adoption in the United States, many American citizens believe that people should be banned from adopting children overseas (carp.1998.pp 135). For example, recent studies have shown that the USA is faced with a very serious problem. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, between “1999-2006,an average of 129,884 children are in public foster care every year waiting to be adopted” (adoption alternativ...