The Pros and Cons of Adoption
What to Know Before Choosing Domestic Adoption
Adoption is not a decision to be made overnight. Whether you’re considering placing a child for adoption or adopting a child, it’s important to do your research.
Because adoption is not right for everyone, every person will have their own adoption pros and cons list to evaluate. It’s up to you to determine what’s on yours.
However, generally speaking, there are some commonly quoted advantages and disadvantages of adoption in the United States. Before you get any further in your research, learn more about them below.
Pros and Cons of Adoption in the United States
What are the pros and cons of adopting a baby? What are the pros and cons of “giving a baby up” for adoption?
As mentioned, everyone’s situation is unique. What is an advantage of adoption to one person may be an adoption disadvantage to another.
Working with a trained adoption professional can help you identity what’s important in your adoption journey and help you decide which type of adoption is best for you.
Because we’re a private domestic infant adoption agency, we’re going to focus on this type of adoption process in this article.
If you’re an adoptive parent deciding between your different options, make sure evaluate the pros and cons for adoption for each before choosing a path.
If you’re considering adopting a baby or “giving a baby up for adoption,” the pros and cons you’re looking for are below.
Let’s get started.
Pros of Adoption
For many people, private domestic infant adoption is a beautiful journey. It brings together adoptive and birth parents to do what is best for the child at the center of the triad.
Take it from our many satisfied clients; adoption can be a life-changing journey that brings happiness for all.
Although every adoption is different, there are a few adoption advantages we’ve seen in our more than 25 years of private domestic infant adoption.
1. A child receives a life of opportunity
It’s no secret that the most important person in a private domestic infant adoption is the child.
When a prospective birth mother makes the brave decision to place her child with another family, she is choosing to give them a life of opportunities she may be unable to provide.
At American Adoptions, all of our adoptive parents are thoroughly screened to ensure they are mentally, physically, financially and emotionally ready to raise an adopted child.
Many of these families have waited for years through infertility treatments to become parents, and they are thrilled to give their love to a child, biologically related or no.
Statistics have shown that adoptive parents are less likely to live below the poverty line and more likely to place an emphasis on higher education (more than 90 percent of our adoptive parents have a bachelor’s degree).
Because adoptive parents have prepared for years to have a child, they often have the financial means and emotional readiness to provide advantages like preschool, family vacations, extracurricular activities and more.
Prospective birth mothers who are not ready to raise a child — whether due to finances, maturity or other personal situations — can choose the life they want for their child with the parents they prefer.
It’s one of the greatest pros of adoption, knowing that they are doing what they think is best for their child.
Read our founder Scott’s story about how adoption gave him a life full of love and opportunity.
Helpful Information
2. A birth mother receives support and a new start
Contrary to what some believe, there are many pros about adoption for a prospective birth mother, too.
Many of the women who come to our agency are at a difficult point in their lives, at no fault of their own. Many are already raising older children and know that they are unprepared to add another child to their family.
Some women are facing financial difficulties and turn to American Adoptions for help. We’re happy to give it.
Every prospective birth mother who contacts our agency receives free, no-obligation counseling about all of her adoption options. She is never pressured into adoption, and she is provided parenting and abortion resources, if she wishes to take that route.
But, if she does choose to start an adoption plan, we will do all we can to ensure her safety and well-being during pregnancy.
This means providing financial assistance for pregnancy, living and medical expenses and connecting her with other resources she may need during this time.
Our support doesn’t end after placement, either. All of our birth parents receive lifelong counseling from our trained specialists.
We are also proud to offer a birth parent scholarship program, which many of our birth parents have used to further their education and achieve their life goals.
While these advantages of adoption may not be obvious at the start, many birth parents say adoption is the best choice they could have ever made.
3. Adoptive parents get to become a family
Obviously, one of the biggest advantages of adopting a child is becoming parents. Many adoptive parents spend years trying to add a child to their family, and there’s no feeling greater than having your child placed in your arms for the first time.
Parenting is a challenging but rewarding journey that many wish to take. And, when they can’t add a child in the “traditional” way, many people come to us.
We help them make their dreams come true. When you work with American Adoptions to adopt a child, you will become a parent — no matter how long it takes.
4. All parties can maintain lifelong relationships
One of the newest advantages of adoption is an open adoption relationship. For years, members of the adoption triad had no information about each other in closed adoptions — but, thankfully, that’s become a thing of the past.
An open adoption is beneficial for all parties, but it’s one of the biggest advantages of adoption for the child at the center.
They grow up knowing their adoption story and getting to hear it directly from their birth parents. They know where they come from, and they have important personal and health history at their fingertips.
At the same time, birth parents can see their children grow up happy and healthy — reassurance that they made the right choice.
Many birth parents have lifelong relationships with their birth children and appreciate the unique role they play in their child’s lives.
That’s why American Adoptions requires all adoptive parents to be open to direct contact with prospective birth parents. We believe in the power of open adoption, and we want to make it an option for every prospective birth parent who’s interested.
5. With the right agency, the process is smooth and ethical
One of the oft-referenced cons of adoption is that it’s complicated and scary to navigate.
This can certainly be true on your own, but with American Adoptions, you will have an expert by your side every step of the way.
We know adoption can be overwhelming, which is why we’re here to help.
Whether you’re considering placing a child or adopting a child, a trained specialist will be happy to answer your questions and get you more information about the process.
Adoptive parents who work with us may find the adoption process to be even easier than previous fertility treatments; they’ll have personalized case management and support every step of the way.
Prospective birth parents receive the same services, including free 24/7 counseling from a trained specialist when they call 1-800-ADOPTION.
While the emotional aspects of the journey will always be difficult, many have reported the practical steps to be simple and forward, thanks to the round-the-clock guidance from their personal adoption specialist.
Cons of Adoption
All that said, adoption isn’t always right for everyone. There are some domestic adoption difficulties that can make it a hard path for some people.
That’s why American Adoptions works closely with both prospective birth and adoptive parents, from the beginning, to confirm they’re ready to take this step.
We don’t sugarcoat the adoption process, but rest assured we will be here to guide you through the challenges ahead.
Here are just a few of the potential disadvantages of adoption to be aware of as you decide whether adoption is right for you.
1. A prospective birth mother will experience grief and loss
As much as a woman can prepare for placing a child for adoption, she will experience some degree of grief and loss after doing so.
This can be one of the scariest cons of adoption, and it’s completely normal for some women to choose a different path because of the fear of regret or grief.
We understand that, and we never pressure a woman into a decision she’s not emotionally ready for.
We are here to help you prepare for and work through those feelings, though.
As previously mentioned, all of our birth mothers receive post-placement counseling, free of charge, for as long as they need. Grief is not a linear journey, and it may not ever go away.
Our goal is to help prospective birth parents reach a point where they are comfortable with their grief, knowing they did what was best for their child.
2. The cost is high for adoptive parents
We won’t lie: One of the disadvantages of adopting a child through a private agency is the cost. An ethical, successful adoption requires a lot of steps and services, and those don’t come cheap.
It’s normal for hopeful adoptive parents to balk at the average cost of adopting a baby.
However, like with most things in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to domestic adoption.
Yes, one of the cons about adoption is the price — but if you want to safely add to your family via adoption, knowing that your child’s birth mother is supported (not pressured), be prepared to pay for those services.
If you are looking for a cheaper path, foster care adoption might be right for you — but keep in mind this journey comes with its own challenges, too.
American Adoptions is always transparent and honest about our agency expenses and the cost we pass along to you.
3. Open — and closed — adoptions come with their own challenges.
While open adoption is highly encouraged by adoption professionals, prospective birth mothers always have the option of choosing a closed adoption, if they prefer.
When a prospective birth mother chooses closed adoption upon placement, parties often need to wait until the child is 18 before making contact.
This means no updated medical history, no answers to the child’s questions about their adoption, and no reassurance to the birth mother that her child is happy and healthy.
But open adoption isn’t always smooth sailing, either.
While American Adoptions makes every effort to educate prospective birth parents and adoptive parents about the responsibility of open adoption, there is always the possibility of a disagreement in contact frequency or method.
For example, one party may choose to limit contact or fail to uphold their end of the contact agreement.
Open adoption is a lifelong commitment from both parties that requires effort and respect on both sides — but overcoming any challenges that pop up along the way is worth it, due to the benefits open adoption provides.
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For many people, the negatives of adoption are heavily outweighed by the beauty and love it can bring.
If you think this might be the right path for you, American Adoptions is always here to help. Get started anytime by contacting us online. We’ll be happy to send you free information further detailing the pros and cons about adoption with our national, licensed agency.
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