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Few in the United States have not been touched by adoption--either as members of the adoption triad (biological parents, adoptive parents, and adopted persons) or being related to or having (had) an association with adoption involving others. Adoption is the legal and permanent placement of a child with an adult who is not the child's biological parent. Once an adoption is legally finalized, adopted children have all the rights accruing to biological children, including the right to inherit.

Adoption may involve stepchildren, biologically related children, previous foster children, and children who are strangers to (have never met) the adoptive parents. Adoptions may be closed (sharing no information between the biological parents and adoptive parents); semi-open (sharing limited information, such as medical history or pictures at certain occasions, between the biological parents and adoptive parents); or open (making provision for ongoing contact between the biological parents and adoptive parents, and possibly the adoptee). Adoptions may be matched (for similarity between adoptive parents and adopted person in such areas as race, religion, physical features, nationality, and ethnicity), transracial (historically involving U.S. Caucasian parents and African American, Hispanic, or Native American children), international/intercountry (historically involving U.S. Caucasian parents and children of countries other than the United States--generally developing countries or economically impoverished countries), or transcultural (involving differences between adopted parents and adoptee in any aspect of culture such as religious background, sexual orientation background, or ethnic background).

Based on the 2000 census, an estimated 2.1 million adopted children live with U.S. householders. These children are distinguished from stepchildren (the biological children of the householder's spouse or partner).

While U.S. parents generally complete the largest number of international adoptions, these adoptions also occur among families in such countries as Canada, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. In some countries, laws in force for religious reasons prohibit the adoption of children by foreigners, although in some cases foreigners may become guardians of a child who is subsequently adopted in the country of origin of the adoptive parents.

Bibliography:

1) Kreider, Rose M. 2003. Adopted Children and Stepchildren: 2000. Census Special Reports, CENSR-6RV. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2007.

2) McGowan, B. G. 2005. "Historical Evolution of Child Welfare Services." Pp. 10-46 in Child Welfare for the Twenty-first Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs, edited by G. P. Mallon and P. M. Hess. New York: Columbia University Press.

3) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau. 2006. "AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2005 Estimates as of September 2006." Retrieved December 18, 2006.

4) U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. "Immigrant Visas Issued to Orphans Coming to the U.S."

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