Thinking about adopting?

With more than 125,000 children adopted per year in the United States alone, and increasing acceptance of same-sex couples as parents, adoption has become a wonderful way to have a family.  Ask any adopted adult and they will tell you of the profound experience that is adoption.

Private Adoption – There are so many private adoption stories to be told and I hope that if you have one, you will share them here on TimeForFamilies.com.  Checking out a non-gay adoption forum may also help you with unanswered questions and give you ideas on how best to proceed.  The first step for many couples seeking to adopt is finding an adoption agency or attorney.  Of the many choices available, I have personally heard favorable comments made about Susan Romer of Adams & Romer and Friends in Adoption.  Resident Bloggers Ricky and Anthony are using Friends in Adoption so if you have a specific question, email Ricky and Anthony for more information.

Public Adoption – Becoming a parent through the foster care system, especially in New York, is a process that has united literally thousands of children with loving families, both same-sex and different sex families.  While the children in the system may be older or harder to place, the state will work with you to find the right match.  Remember to be direct and flexible.  There is always a solution.

International Adoption – Adopting a child from a foreign country will require finding an agency that is not only open to working with gay parents, but has a successful history of placing foreign children in gay households.  The parents will be required to share this information with the foreign country. Religious influence is an absolute consideration, both on a national and agency level.  The culture of the foreign country will often dictate whether or not a gay couple may adopt there.  The solution ultimately may be to adopt as a single parent in the foreign country, then have a second parent adoption in the US.

Second Parent Adoption – The court procedure known as second parent adoption is the only means by which a non-biological parent in a same-sex relationship may create a legal and portably binding relationship with their partner’s biological child. If the couple uses a unknown sperm or ova donor, the child born of such an arrangement will only have one legal parent if that couple is unmarried. Some courts are now recognizing same-sex marriages validly performed in other jurisdictions for the purpose of adding a nonbiological parent’s name to a child’s Birth Certificate, however, other states are not bound to respect that relationship unless there is a Second Parent Adoption.  For more information, visit my Second Parent Adoption page.