| A child who is born from one set of parents and | | | | from every social class and have varied backgrounds |
| becomes the child of other parents is said to be | | | | in race, religion, educational attainment and economic |
| adopted. Adoption can provide a home and a family | | | | position. Social workers say that but the child up to |
| for a child who cannot have the care of his natural | | | | adoption does not necessarily mean that the natural |
| parents for any reason. It can also make it possible | | | | parents do not care for the child. In contrast, most |
| for people who are childless to have children. | | | | parents consent to the adoption of their children |
| Most people think that adoption is a fairly new | | | | because they love them and they wish the children |
| practice, but it is centuries old. It was a practice that | | | | to have the opportunities and the care that they're |
| was well known to the Babylonians, Assyrians, | | | | unable to provide. |
| Greeks, Egyptians and Romans. However, the | | | | Most of the children who are adopted in the United |
| practice of adopting children did not become | | | | States are adopted by stepparents or other close |
| widespread until the 20th century when it grew in | | | | relatives. The other children are adopted through child |
| popularity in most European countries. The practice is | | | | welfare agencies or through the aid of clergymen and |
| now most popular in the United States, where during | | | | doctors. There are public and private child welfare |
| the past 50 years; the number of adoptions has | | | | agencies in every state and in all major cities. These |
| increased by leaps and bounds. Well over 100,000 | | | | are supported by tax money and voluntary |
| children are adopted annually in the United States | | | | contributions. These agencies have in their care |
| alone. | | | | children of different ages who need adoption, ranging |
| There are many reasons why children have to be | | | | from babies who are only a few days old to |
| adopted. Sometimes a child suffers the death of one | | | | adolescents. |
| or both parents. Or the parent suffers an illness that | | | | A child who is adopted when he is a very young |
| cannot be cured, so a court decides that it would be | | | | knows only his adoptive parents and may never |
| best for the child to be adopted. There also parents | | | | guess that he was not born to them. Child welfare |
| who discover that they are not able to take care of | | | | experts feel that it is better for a child to know from |
| a child after it is born, so they place him with a family | | | | the time that he was small that he was adopted, |
| who wants to adopt him and has the means to look | | | | otherwise there is a danger that he would find out |
| after him. Some natural parents feel that they are | | | | the truth someday in a way that can hurt him. The |
| not mature enough or suffer the stigma of being | | | | fact of adoption need not disturb the parents or the |
| unmarried, so they're not prepared to make a | | | | child as long as a child feels that his adoptive parents |
| comfortable home for the child. These parents come | | | | truly love and care for him. |