| Adoption: What is it? | | | | be able to give more to a child than they could. |
| When an individual takes full parental custody over a | | | | Why do people adopt? |
| child that is not biologically theirs, that process is | | | | Prospective parents engage in the adoption process |
| called adoption. During this process (or perhaps even | | | | for various reasons. Couples who are having problems |
| beforehand), the natural parents of the child relinquish | | | | with their fertility usually resort to adoption to be |
| all their rights and responsibilities regarding the child. | | | | able to raise their own family. Short of more artificial |
| After the adoption process, the adoptive parents | | | | methods of conception, adoption can help such |
| become the legal guardians of the child, empowered | | | | couples to find a child they can shower their love on. |
| to deal with him or her in much the same way that | | | | Many couples who already have their own children |
| they would deal with one of their own. | | | | sometimes still want to add to that number. |
| Why are children put up for adoption? | | | | However, when old age and other biological factors |
| Children are put up for adoption for various reasons. | | | | make it harder for pregnancy to occur, the logical |
| One reason is that the parents of a child may have | | | | course is to adopt children. Of course, other people |
| died or are otherwise incapacitated with regards to | | | | adopt simply because they want to do something |
| providing for his or her future. Another reason is that | | | | good for the world. They adopt out of the |
| parents may simply believe that other people might | | | | generosity of their hearts. |