Families who are looking to adopt should thoroughly research the agency.
An illegal adoption is typically recognized in two forms: illegal actions from an adoption agency and black market adoption. In addition, an illegal adoption may be the result of mistakes made by adoptions agencies, courts and poorly advised prospective parents.
Misconduct by Adoption Agencies
While there are countless reputable adoption agencies, there are also agencies that engage in illegal activities with regard to foster children. Many adoption agencies are involved in legal adoptions because of misconduct on the part of employees, and while in some cases this conduct may be unintentional, the mishandling of court documents may result in an adoption being rendered illegal. When this occurs, countless families are affected and this often results in a child being removed from an adoptive family's home. Other instances may be a result of intentional misconduct and agency-wide illegal activity.
Black Market Adoptions
Black market adoptions involve selling children, which renders an adoption illegal. Desperate prospective parents are often involved in the process of illegally obtaining a baby and purchasing it for a determined amount of money. Some black market agencies remove children from their homes and put them up for adoption. Prospective adoptive parents are misled to believe that the foster children have no families when they were actually stolen from their families. As this most often occurs in countries where poverty and illiteracy is rampant, the families of the children who are placed for adoption are often told that the children will be allowed to return to them after a certain period of time. In reality, these children often never see their families again.
Illegal Trafficking
Illegal trafficking essentially means stealing children and either selling them or placing them for adoption for the use of exploitation. Illegal trafficking gained worldwide attention in 2010 in the wake of the earthquake that crippled Haiti and resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 people. Haitian children who lost their parents in the devastation were being rescued and placed for adoption or sold to people who had no legal rights to the children. Many of the children are believed to have been sold for the purpose of organ trafficking and other exploitative purposes.
Adoption Fraud
Adoption fraud occurs when an adoption agency purposely misleads or defrauds prospective parents. This may come in the form of charging unnecessary fees, concealing personal and medical information about the foster child, or the exchange of money between the biological parent and several different prospective parents.
Fathers' Registries
Most states provide fathers with the opportunity to place their names on a fathers' registry. These registries prevent biological mothers from placing their children for adoption without the consent of the paternal or legal father.
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