What are the options available for an adoption?

Due to a myriad number of health illnesses, disabilities or even potential health problems, some couples are not able to have their own children. On the other side of the coin, many children throughout the United States and throughout the world are born under unfavorable conditions. Whether the mother or parents of the child are unable or unwilling to bring up the child, or the child has become an orphan, the opportunity for adoption can be a positive life-changing experience and venture for all parties involved, the biological parents, the adoptive parents, and most importantly, the child or children in need of parents.

In the United States, there are various methods of adoption available to parents wishing to adopt. A common method is through an adoption agency, often privately run by social service organizations and charities for biological parents to give a child up for adoption or public agencies who have children who may have been orphaned, abandoned or abused.

International adoptions is another option. Due to complexities with laws and governing bodies between countries, this process is more involved and will include regulations by the Hague Adoption Convention and certification by the State Department.

Couples may also independently make an arrangement with a biological couple to adopt their child. And married couples with a child or children from a previous relationship may adopt as a stepparent. Adoption of a relative is also possible for a child or children whose parents are deceased or are deemed unfit to parent. These issues are often quite involved and may require professional guidance through a firm familiar with family law.

Source: findlaw.com "The Different Types of Adoption," Accessed Oct. 13, 2015