| Adoption is an emotionally charged and complicated | | | | become the parents. Selling babies is illegal in Georgia |
| legal process. When Georgia parents (or a single | | | | and the adoptive parents have to be careful about |
| parent) agree to be responsible for the care of a | | | | offering monetary assistance to the birth mother.o |
| child, the family must appear in a Georgia Family Law | | | | Adoptions by family members or step parents. These |
| court to finalize the procedure. Adoptive parents | | | | adoptions can be challenged if the birth parent |
| must be 25 years old or an adult married couple. | | | | objects. In either case, if the parent objects and is |
| Georgia laws give potential parents several options | | | | present in the child's life, the courts will not likely |
| for adoption.o Private adoption agencies. These | | | | grant the adoption. The exception is in cases of |
| agencies handle all aspects of the adoption. Financial | | | | abuse or neglect.o International adoptions are |
| assistance may be given to the birth mother, the | | | | becoming more common, especially from Asian |
| adoptive parents will be screened and the agency | | | | countries. These are done by adoption agencies or |
| handles the termination of the birth parents' rights. | | | | through attorneys. Even if the adoption is finalized in |
| These adoptions can cost the adoptive parents | | | | the foreign country, the parents have to readopt the |
| thousands of dollars. These cases must be heard in | | | | child in Georgia.o In rare cases, an adult will adopt |
| Georgia family court since the agency has custody of | | | | another adult. This can occur when a step parent |
| the child until the adoption is finalized.o Agencies such | | | | wants to adopt the adult child or in circumstances |
| as the Georgia Department of Family and Children | | | | where the adopted adult has mental or |
| Services encourage the adoption of children placed in | | | | developmental challenges and cannot care for |
| its care that have been there for a lengthy period of | | | | themselves. |
| time. In most cases, the parent's rights have been | | | | Georgia adoption records are sealed as are the |
| terminated because of abuse, abandonment or | | | | original birth records. The only way those records can |
| neglect. Many of these children spend years in foster | | | | be unsealed is by a court order or through the |
| care before they are adopted.o Private adoptions are | | | | Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry, a state agency |
| allowed under Georgia law. These adoptions are | | | | created in 1990. However if the adoptive parent |
| usually handled by a Georgia family law attorney. The | | | | doesn't want to be found, the registry is not allowed |
| birth mother will relinquish her parent rights and the | | | | to release his or her name. |
| adoptive parents will file paperwork in court to | | | | |