Recently, the Donaldson Adoption Institute released its study, “Untangling the Web – The Internet’s Transformative Impact on Adoption.”
While the study highlights many of the ways that the Internet benefits adoption, it also warns prospective adoptive families of its potential risks.
Benefits for Adoptive Families:
- They can privately research adoption online before deciding whether adoption is right for their family.
- They are able to quickly research various adoption professionals and identify which one will provide the necessary adoption services for their situation.
- They may interact with birth parents through email, Skype or social media, depending on the level of contact agreed to.
- They are able to receive online support from their adoption professional before, during and after the adoption process.
Risks for Adoptive Families:
- It may be difficult to determine which websites are for facilitators and which are for reputable adoption professionals.
- Some online adoption advertisers are not able to legally complete an adoption, requiring the adoptive family to find another adoption professional for finalization.
- The Internet has led to birth mother scams across the country.
- Certain websites may not have the best interest of adoptive families and birth parents in mind, and are only interested in completing adoptions as quickly as possible.
While American Adoptions is considered an “online adoption advertiser,” we are also a fully licensed national adoption agency. Our website supports adoptive families throughout the adoption process with videos, articles, manuals and more.
Read the following to learn more about how the Internet has affected adoption on our website, or watch our Video Spotlight below.
Written by Dustin Freund
