Introduction
Adoption means becoming legal parents to a child from born in another family. Children from one family are taken in by another family. They become members of that family through the process of adoption. The adopted child acquires the same rights as a natural child such as inheritance. When parents adopt a child, they permanently get the rights and responsibilities of that child. Therefore, in adoption there is permanent change of status for the children, natural parents and the adopting parents. The process of adoption is complex and is governed by regulations. This paper will endeavor to look into the issue of whether adoption should become available as a for-profit service. In addition, the paper will look at the pro and cons of making adoption available as a for-profit service.
Adoption process
In the contemporary practice in adoption, there are two forms – open adoption and closed adoption. In the open adoption, identifying information is allowed between the biological and adoptive parents. There can be interaction between the adoptee and their kin. Sometimes the adoptee can be allowed to access his or her unaltered birth certificate. On the other hand, in closed adoption all identifying information is sealed. The information is kept as secret but non-identifying information such as medical history, ethnicity and religion may be disclosed (Types of Adoption, para. 1).
In both forms of adoption, the process may occur through various mechanisms- private domestic adoptions, foster care adoption, embryo adoption and common law adoption. The adoption process may be handled by the government or private agencies. In both case money is involved though in some cases the adoptive parents do not pay.
Profit-making adoption agencies
Profit-making adoption agencies have led to more harm than good. They should not be allowed to become a profit-making service. This is because some of the profits- making adoption agencies are full of corruption for example children are said to be orphans yet they have been stolen. A lot of coercion, exploitation and fraud going on in some of these agencies. Unsuspecting biological parents are made to believe that their children will be better of in their new families (Ramaswany, 2004, para. 3). The desperate parents and young mothers give up their children because they wish for them to have a better life. The adopted children are sometimes sold to people who exploit them sexually. Sometimes the children end up working in sweatshops hence they do not get a good life as their parents had been promised.
The agencies have turned children into stock or products. The children are sold to buyers who are willing to pay the highest price. This trend is immoral because a human being cannot be equated with a product in the market. Furthermore, these agencies purport to provide homes for the children but in reality, they provide children to willing adoptive buyers who go for only high quality “products”. This means that some children stay in the adoption agencies and fail to be adopted because they may not be healthy (Ramaswany, 2004)
On the other hand, some parents sell their children or put them up for adoption because of the money they will get from the adoption agencies. These parents put their interests before those of their children. Some parents justify these acts by saying poverty pushed them into considering adoption (Riben, 2007, p. 67-75).
Disadvantages of for profit agencies
The agencies will go to any length to get children to sell. This leads to kidnapping of children. In countries such as Guatemala and Korea, cases of kidnapped children have been reported. The children are taken from their parents and taken to adoption agencies where they are adopted in other countries. This leaves the birth parents with a lot of anguish over the loss of their children. In addition, some of the profit-making agencies sell children in the guise of adoption in what is called child trafficking. Human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights. Thus, such agencies should be locked up altogether and adoption left with the government only. This is because they perpetuate human trafficking in the name of adoption (Salls, 2006, para. 1).
Advantages of for profit adoption agencies
Conversely, some profit-making adoption agencies have helped some parents get children and given homes to children. The agencies have the capacity to reach birth parents and arrange for adoption with the adoptive parents. This makes it possible for adoptive parents to get children they badly want because some are unable to give birth naturally while others choose to adopt for its sake.
The adoption agencies take care of the children while they are under their care because they need to get “buyers” for the children. Thus, most of the children in agencies are taken care. On the contrary, in some public agencies, there is congestion and the children are not provided with basic requirements. Counseling services during adoption may also not be provided (Irving, 2008, p. 319).
The adoption agencies provide counseling services to the birth mother and adoptive parents on what to expect during the process. As earlier mentioned the adoption process is complex and it requires to be handled professionally. The adoption agencies provide the professional services because they are conversant with the adoption procedure and the legal paperwork involved. They provide a great deal of support in the adoption process (Irving, 317).
Conclusion
Adoption is noble if it is done in the interests of children. They are given a chance to be loved by their new parents especially if they were orphans. The adoptive parents also get a chance to be parents and they are able to fulfill a longing desire for parenting. The adoption agencies play an important role in making the adoption process possible. However, making adoption available as for profit service should not be done because by licensing adoption agencies as profit-making firms will lead to higher numbers of kidnapped children. Unscrupulous agencies will rise and swindle people of their hard-earned money even though some adoption agencies are swindling adoptive parents. In addition, if agencies are allowed to be profit-making they will compete for children read products. In this case, the children will suffer because they will be torn away from their parents just because they are a product in a multi-dollar market. De-commercialization of the adoption will solve many problems that bedevil the process.
Reference
Irving, S. (2008). Nolo’s encyclopedia of everyday law: answers to your most frequently asked legal questions nolo’s encyclopedia of everyday law. 7th ed.California: Nolo.
Ramaswany, G. (2004). Four myths about inter-country adoption. Web.
Riben, M. (2007). The stock market America’s multi-billion dollar unregulated adoption industry. New Jersey: Advocate Publications ISBN 1-4276-0895-4.
Salls, M. (2006). The Hidden Market for Babies. Web.
Types of adoption. (n.d). 2009. Web.