Continued from the
previous post, “An Independent Adoption Primer”
Freedom. Adoptive parents and pregnant women have more freedom to determine what the adoption will “look like,” and they have the option of receiving professional guidance from their adoption attorney and/or facilitator when needed.
Time. The time period in which adoptive and birth parents locate one another may be shorter than with an agency adoption. Adopting parents can be listed by multiple adoption attorneys at the same time, increasing their chances of adopting in a timely manner.
Criteria. Prospective adoptive parents who don’t meet the criteria for agency adoption (often because of their age, but marital status and religion are other common factors) still have the opportunity to adopt.
Control. Adoptive parents and pregnant women/couples have more control over the adoption, as they contact one another directly or through an adoption attorney.
Expense. Independent adoption can be significantly less expensive than agency adoption, because fewer fees are paid to a middleman.
Legalities. Independent adoption is not legal in all states.
Fraud. The likelihood of adoption fraud increases. Recently, there have been cases in the news about adoption facilitators who scammed prospective adoptive parents, and also of women who claim they’re pregnant and request funds from the adopting parents, and then walk away with the money.
Expense. Independent adoption costs are unpredictable. In some states, adoptive parents can pay for the counseling, living, and medical expenses of a pregnant woman (these payments are illegal in some states), in addition to paying the legal expenses of both the birth mother and the adoptive parent(s).
If birth mother doesn’t have health insurance or isn’t covered by Medicaid and has complications with the pregnancy, labor or delivery, the adopting parents may end of paying more than they would for an agency adoption.
Financial Risk. Independent adoption is a financial risk for adoptive parents. If a pregnant woman decides to parent, the prospective adoptive parents may lose all the expenses they’ve paid toward the pregnant woman’s expenses. Adoption insurance can guard against this risk.
Emotional Risk. Independent adoption is an emotional risk. Because adoptive parents and the pregnant woman/couple usually meet (sometimes, quite regularly for several months) before the baby is born, the potential adoptive parents may be emotionally devastated should the mother decide to parent her baby.
Support. Independent adoption may not provide the same level of support, preparation and counseling for a pregnant woman and for the adopting parents as does agency adoption. Lack of counseling may leave both parties unprepared for the emotional issues of adoption and post-adoption.
Locating the Birth Father. Locating a birth father may involve considerable time and expense.
State Adoption Laws. When adopting across state lines, adopting parents and birth parents must comply with the adoption laws of both states.
Sources:
Adoption.com
http://adopting.adoption.com/child/independent-adoptions.html
Adoption.com
http://adopting.adoption.com/child/adoption-facilitators.html
Baby Center
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/preconception/adopting/1373616.html
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children http://icpc.aphsa.org/
iVillage
http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/badoption/0,,69zb,00.html
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/legal/statutes/advertising.cfm
For more information and articles about adoption, please visit my Web site, www.laurachristianson.com or my adoption.com blog, http://christian.adoptionblogs.com/.
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