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Adoption
Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are? Perhaps you thought, “Why am I so short, or why do I have blue eyes?” Then you look to your parents and realize it is inherited. People who are adopted can’t find that out. All they can do in life is wonder. They don’t know their past, and they don’t know their future.
A raging debate has been taking place across the nation over whether or not adoptees in the US should have access to their original birth certificates when they reach 18. However, at present they do not, even though most non-adoptees think they do. In 46 states, when adult adoptees apply for their birth certificate, what they receive is an amended copy showing information related to their adopted status only, with no reference to the names of their biological parents.
One question comes to most people’s mind when they think about Open Records, “Do adoptive parents, in the majority, oppose open records?” The answer is a definite No. 100% of adoptive parents said that vital medical information should be available for adoptees and birth parents seeking the information. This does not mean that they would receive the names of their biological parents, but it would save lives by letting us know what we need to prepare for and prevent. We, as adoptees don’t know if we have a chance of getting diabetes, or even cancer.
It is estimated that 3% of the worlds population is adopted. An Open Records Law would NOT decrease the overall rate of adoptions. Alaska, Kansas, and Oregon give adoptees their original birth certificates. In the 1990’s has had over twice the per capita rate of adoptions as Texas. That just goes to show that this would not decrease the number of adoptions.
Those who oppose Open Records may argue that this law would increase the number of abortions. They are also wrong there. Studies have shown that the longer a country or state has Open Records, the less abortions they have. In the US there are about 335 abortions per every 1,000 live births. That is a sad statistic. However in Kansas, there is only 164 per every 1,000. I think that is saying something right there.
Dukette, R. Perspectives for agency response to the adoption record controversy. Child Welfare 54(8):545-555, September-October 1975.
There are now different types of adoptions such as going through an agency adoption, independent adoptions, step parent adoptions, international adoption, and lastly an open agency adoption. Many individuals face these particular adoptions today. Adoptions however affect adoptive parents, biological parent, and over all family. An adoption can affect an adopter by yearning to build that family but on the other hand still being terrified that something can possibly go wrong. Also an adoption affects a biological parent the most because there whole life is affected by this choice but sometimes a mother or father will do it for the better of the child. A biological parent will ponder to a whole bunch of unanswered questions about the child’s life with the adoptive family such as being care and nurtured by the new family? Or maybe even wonder if the new family will tell their child they’re adopted. Adoptions affect a biological parent by grief because they know its not a conversation to touch upon with anyone, they can encounter unresolved grief where it can affect the mothers feelings of happiness and worthelessness because they put there child up for adoption. This can escalate a biological parent to become angry at their parents or even the
Many potential adopted parents have experienced heartbreak, anguish and other problems that can be associated with adoption. There is an imbalance in the Nations foster care system and the system needs to be strengthening and the quality of services improved.
Goldstein, Jennifer. "I didn’t look for my birth parents": being adopted can raise a lot of question." Cosmo Girl Nov. 2005: 100. Print.
...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 ).
For those who are a part of the adoption world one of the most hotly debated issues is whether birth records should be open or closed to adoptees. With this issue comes strong feelings on both sides. In most states adoption records are fully sealed and inaccessible, unless the adoptee petitions the court. In 16 states these records are fully or partially available upon request with no court involvement, and also may depend upon when you were born. In a few states records are completely prohibited and the adoptee will never have any access to them. Alaska and Kansas have always made original birth records available.
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...
There has been an enormous amount of research conducted about adoptees and their problems with identity formation. Many of the researchers agree on some of the causes of identity formation problems in adolescent adoptees, while other researchers conclude that there is no significant difference in identity formation in adoptees and birth children. This paper will discuss some of the research which has been conducted and will attempt to answer the following questions: Do adoptees have identity formation difficulties during adolescence? If so, what are some of the causes of these vicissitudes? Is there a significant difference between identity formation of adoptees and nonadoptees?
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’.
“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 ...
Have you ever wondered what your parents look like or if they are thinking of you? Adoption can have that effect on children. What is adoption? Adoption is the process of providing parents with children and children with families when birth parents are unwilling or unable to care for their offspring. Adoption can make a child feel abandon, unloved, and have low self-esteem.
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...
When a couple or individual decides to adopt a child, they know they are going to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s child. Due to the biological parent(s) who can’t take care of that child anymore, because of either drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abuse to the child or if the parent(s) had died and there is no other care for the child. So that’s why this gives other couples who cannot have kids, the opportunity to promise themselves to be a great parent to a child in need. Though there are some bad things about adoption as well. Like adopting a child from another country of another race, because once that child is adopted into an American family, he or she will be cut off from their culture and never know about their history. Everyone should to know about their culture and history.
...an sense that and begin to think that something is wrong with them or like they are not fitting in. For an adopted child, fitting in is a huge concern for them. Not only on the inside do they feel different, but on the outside they feel that they are not like other children because of who they parents are. They may also feel like they do not know who they really are because their birth is a missing piece of their life therefore they feel stranger to everyone. Being adopted can affect the child’s self esteem. However adopted children do not have to live their life with questions of the past holding them back. They can be just as successful as anybody else. For example Actor Jamie Foxx was adopted at the age 7 months. As long as we give them the same treatment, support, and opportunity to be somebody that will distract them from letting their past affect their future.
...g adopted, almost every theory of children development predicts problems for adoptees. In 1960, the archives of general psychology published a report by M. D. Schecter which started found that 13.3 percent of the children he had treated for psychiatric disorders over a five-year period, were adopted. Dr. Schecter’s data was therefore used to suggest that something about the adoptive situation left an adopted child with a 100-times greater chance of running into psychological problems in his life than did a non-adopted child (Lasnik 102). Statistics show that children over the age of 5 who are adopted run even a higher risk of mental and emotional problems (Luther Online).