Want to Adopt? Watch Your Weight!
According to adoption specialists at
Adopting from Korea and Afterwards, parents seeking to adopt children from
Korea cannot weigh more than 30% over the "normal" weight for their given height when they work with certain agencies. So, if you're considering international adoption, be prepared for a weigh-in or look for another agency! [
See weight/height chart.]
Every Country Has Some Every country has certain requirements for prospective adoptive parents, usually regarding age, number of existing children in the home, some indicator of marital stability (number of divorces, years married) and, in the case of single parent adoption, gender.
If you
are single, male
or female, you can forget about adopting from
Armenia,
Thailand, or
Sri Lanka (among others). No single adoptive parents allowed. If you choose to adopt from
St. Lucia, you don't have to be a resident but you
do have to own property on the island.
Rounding out this quick look at some of the less well-known requirements is
Slovakia where prospective adoptive parents must have long-term residency in the country and remain there during the entire adoption process, which can take 1-2 years.
Other restrictions include those regarding gay men and lesbians.
China declines to accept applications from homosexuals, and several countries specifically prohibit same-gender couples from adopting.
Age Limits Encourage International Adoption One of the reasons many turn to international adoption is the age restriction applied by many agencies for domestic adoption. In
Mexico,
Russia, and
Greece, for example, the upper age limit for adoptive parents is 60, giving older individuals an opportunity to provide a home to a child. Some countries, including
Ukraine, have no published upper age limit. Parents will, however, be interviewed and their abilities to parent will be evaluated.
Knowledge is Power While these details of limitations and restrictions are interesting, and can sometimes bring a smile, they serve as a reminder that those seeking to adopt internationally should make themselves aware not only of individual country laws and regulations, but also of the prevailing attitudes and trends in a country of their interest.
For example, while age restrictions for
China adoptions were lowered from 35 to 30, that country is now limiting the number of applications being accepted from single persons. Procedures in many countries are also more flexible for special needs adoptions.
By taking advantage of the wealth of information available on the Web, and consulting with adoption professionals, you will be less likely to make common mistakes, fall into traps or, at worst, fall prey to unscrupulous individuals.
Best Resources: International Adoption Resources by Country
Learn about the requirements for each country, and find service providers, support groups, and medical information.
International Adoption: Complete Index
Speaking of weight... For years, the
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has claimed discrimination against fat people by adoption agencies.
© Nancy S Ashe
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Comments
I Dont Understand The Weight Thing, Because My Two Girl There Adoptive Mother And Father Both Are Like 3oo Plus Pounds
Posted by: honeysuckle8980 at 09/08/2007 02:35 AM
I feel the same way, my husband is a very large man. When people look at him, he feels that all they see is a fat man who is lazy and is fat because he eats too much. When we go to a restuarant, other patrons stare, not at him, but his plate of food. So Russell will pick up his plate and ask the person staring;"Want some?" It's funny to watch them turn red. They don't see someone who tries very hard to control his weight as much as he can, a man who has hypothyriodism, and a man who went ten years or more with untreated sleep apnea(which is now controled with a CPAP m achine)that put his metabolism at a screeching halt and no matter what, his metabolism will never fully catch up. Russell is a RN and walks constantly while at work and is in no way, shape, or form lazy.
We are wanting to adopt from China, but with his weight, I don't know if we will be able too.
Posted by: TWIB at 06/09/2006 03:44 PM
I think that it is sad that others look at heavy people and automatically assume that their health is bad, they cannot control their eating, etc. There are many different medical conditions that can cause you to gain weight and that make it near impossible to take it off. This does not mean that they will not make great parents who will love a child. It just means that they are overweight. There are people that are considered "obese" by their doctor, but who eat right and exercise and are in excellent health. Weight it just part of the equation.
Posted by: culinary at 11/28/2005 06:15 AM
Lord, yes, thanks for catching that!
I meant that someone can have a healthy relationship to food and their body a her life (though she'd be a strong and rare woman in this country, lol!) and then, as a result of dealing with infertility treatments, become a person who is judged as overweight by others. Or even by just a size chart! Such a person definitely should not be ruled out of parenthood because of her size.
Posted by: admiral at 11/11/2005 09:27 AM
Admiral, I think you mean "can't" judge.
Posted by: absolutely at 11/11/2005 09:22 AM
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