Who Normally Adopts?
Given
that one must be at least twenty-one years of age to adopt, many various
groups of people choose to permanently take a child into their homes to
take care of him/her. Those who usually adopt include, but are not limited
to, married couples, common law couples, homosexual couples, and also single
parents. Physically and mentally disabled people make up a substantial group
of prospective adoptive parents. However, they must show that they can meet
all of the children’s needs.
("What kinds of people
Adopt")
The people who normally adopt are mostly adopting for their own wants and
needs. Very few people do it with a purpose of giving the children a better
life. Sometimes the people who adopt are looked at as if they were selfish.
This
is because they are choosing the baby that they like, from the sex of the
baby to the color of his or her skin. Of course this is not the case of
every person that adopts, but it is for many people. If the child does not
respond to the parents the way they want him or her to respond, they may
end up with having a Post Adoption Depression.
Since mostly everyone can adopt with certain exceptions, we presented a
question asking do you feel people should adopt. We surveyed a number of
fifty teens from ages fourteen to eighteen years of age. This question was
only one of numerous questions on the survey we conducted. For this question
we only wanted a yes or no answer. Out of the fifty teens there were eighteen
males and thirty-two females. In the results we found that only one person
from each gender felt that people should not adopt. From the information
we accumulated, below is a graph on our results.
Do you feel people should adopt?
Who Cannot Adopt
In
most cases everybody is not allowed to adopt. Same sex adoption which is
not new, but has become popular, has come to be a problem. Only four states
allow same sex adoption: Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California.
Florida fully bans same sex adoption.
("Both Sides of the Issue")
In the United Kingdom, there is a problem with weight issues, where a quarter
of the population is overweight. Weight seems to be a problem when it comes
to adopting. When filling out the application the agency may tell the person
who is adopting that their weight will be an issue and they may not. Receiving
a BMI (Body Mass Index) will determine the agency’s decision when
allowing the adopter to adopt a child or not. Reasons for doing this are
for the children to experience a long life with the adoptive parents. Many
in the UK that have a weight issue totally go against this part of the adoption
process. They feel that their weight would not be an issue and their weight
has nothing to do with the love and care that they would have for the child.
The main decision should not be based upon weight, but if it was based upon
something else it would not be such an issue.
("To Heavy to Adopt")
Most agencies prohibit people who are under the age of 21, and there is
no limit to age above 21, but agencies would like to know if the person
adopting can keep up with the child once he/she reaches a certain age. Couples
are allowed to adopt, however there are exceptions depending on the couples
sexual orientation and type of agency. Some agencies have religious beliefs
that deny same sex couples who want to adopt a child. Agency requirements
vary, but some do recommend that the couple has to have lived together for
several of years.
Single parents can adopt also, but they are not normally offered new born
babies because the agency doesn’t believe they can handle all of that
own their own. Divorced couples are even allowed to adopt and if one of
the spouses have other children that makes it better because agencies like
to match up the children with the same age group rather than throwing a
child in a home with an infant and a teenager. A conviction of any severances’
especially regarding a child will result with the agency telling the adopter
that they are denied. In England if the conviction took place when the person
looking to adopt was under the age of eighteen that offense will not hold
you back from adopting. Even if a member of the adopter’s household
has been convicted of a crime the agency will have no choice but to deny
them. The agency feels that they would be placing the child in danger and
most of the kids are coming from traumatic situations already. When adopting
a child, the adopter does not have to be employed, but the agency will see
if they can manage money and provide for the child. Health plays a major
role also because the person who is going to adopt is required a medical
exam to see if they are fit enough to keep up with the child. An application
will not be accepted if you have major health issues. The agency wants the
health exam to be taken for the child’s sake because they want the
adoptive parents to live at least until the child’s adulthood. Some
agencies also require that the kids are placed with the same race because
it would be better to be with someone of the same ethnicity. This ethnic
placing is not demanded, but it is practiced.
("Advice Guide")