Single Parent Adoption

There is not only one explanation to illustrate meaning of adoption. Adoption is no longer restricted to the married couple adopting the same-race baby whereby privacy between native and adoptive families is vital. Adoptive families are the sign of diversity of family forms found in society. Kinship adoption (adoption by the non-parent relative or stepparent) is the prevalent way of forming adoptive families (Hansen, 42). Although there is lack of precision in available data, National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reports that kinship adoptions are slightly higher in number in United States.

Despite preference for married couples by adoption agency staff, native parents, or both for nonrelative adoptions, single-parent adoption has increased in prevalence. Single parents have the greater likelihood of adopting special needs children for whom finding the permanent placement may be more difficult (Groze, 21). There are also small but growing number of adoptions by gay and lesbian couples. Controversy surrounds this practice, with some states banning gay and lesbian adoption, whereas Child Welfare League of America asserts that gay and lesbian couples should be assessed same as any other adoptive applicant.

Already accustomed to seeing international adoptees in their communities and supported by public policy changes, Caucasian couples began to embrace adoption of Native American, Hispanic, and African American children. A number of federal, state, and private agency policies provided financial, medical, tax, and employment incentives for adoption of children considered otherwise hard to place. (These children were frequently older, members of sibling groups, and troubled by behavioral or developmental disabilities.) Support for these transracial adoptions eventually reopened interest in international adoption of children who were frequently much younger than children available for domestic adoption, leading to an increase in international adoptions. In addition, same-race adoptions by minority group parents were encouraged, along with support for adoption by single parents and parents with limited incomes and resources (Elmund, 72).

Controversy still surrounds adoption of children. Adults who were products of closed adoptions frequently search for their biological parents and, in case of adoptions that occurred in this country, with some success. These adults have also sought policy changes aimed at opening information between biological parents and adoptees. Birth mothers have organized to support each other in searching for their relinquished children, to call public's attention to circumstances surrounding their early decisions, and to effect laws more responsive to openness in adoption records. While open adoption is more common than previously, there is substantial variation in structure and success of these arrangements.

For numerous reasons, adopted children more frequently than their nonadopted peers have behavioural problems and receive psychiatric treatment. Some adoptions disrupt (terminate before adoption finalization) or dissolve (terminate after adoption finalization). Questions arise regarding existence of loss and grief experiences associated with adoption; effect of transracial, international, and transcultural adoption on identity of adopted children; and whether, and under what circumstances, adoption is in best interest of children. Design and sampling difficulties hinder use of research in addressing these questions. At same time, adoption continues to be the positive reality ...