Adoption is a process that allows children that cannot be cared for by their
birth parents, a chance to become a member of another family. Laws are created
to give the adoptive parents the same legal rights that a birth parent would
have in regards to a child. Adoptive parents give a child a new and permanent
home.
Reasons for Adoption
Most children are raised in a family consisting of a father and a mother. In
some cases birth parents cannot give the love and care that their child needs.
Often these parents are very young and unmarried and have not given prior
thought to the responsibilities of being a parent. Sometimes these parents
decide that they would like their child to have the opportunity to grow up in a
family that can offer the love, security, and permanence that their child
needs.
Other children lose their birth parents by death, accident, illness, or
disaster and need a loving and caring family.
Unfortunately there are cases of some parents having serious personal
problems that neglect or abandon their children. These children are often left
for long periods of time in foster homes or other institutions. When it becomes
clear that the parents will never be able to care for them it is decided by
others that it would be best for the child to be adopted and placed with a
permanent family.
Who Adopts
Although almost anyone can adopt a child, in most cases it is the couples
that cannot have children naturally that tend to adopt.