Adoption Basics

• Author: Jeffrey Kasky; Robert Andrew Kasky
• Pages: 1-2

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CHAPTER

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Adoption Basics

We can all agree that every child deserves to start his or her life out in the best possible circumstances to

fit his or her situation. “Permanence” is the word and concept which is often used to describe the situation

wherein a child is adopted and made a legal part of a family. Adoption is one of several legal alternatives

to the biological creation of a family to help accomplish the goal of giving a child a good start in life.

By definition, “adoption” is a state-legislated legal process that enables a parent–child relationship to

be created where there was none. Adoption is often accomplished between people who have no biologi-

cal connection; however, certainly adoptions are available and often completed between family members.

The legal effect of a completed adoption process is that the person being adopted (sometimes referred

to as the “adoptee”) becomes the legal child of the adoptive parent(s). The adoptive parents acquire all

rights, duties, and responsibilities of parenthood with respect to the adoptee who, depending on his or her

age, may thus become entitled to be supported emotionally and financially as if he or she was a biological

child of the adoptive parents. In fact, should there be a death, divorce, or separation of or between the

adoptive parents, the adoptee is entitled to be considered as a biological child for the purposes of inheri-

tance, child support, visitation as well as all other aspects that apply to the death of a biological parent or

the legal dissolution of a marriage.

Of course, the primary and “public policy” goal of adoption is to provide and promote the welfare

of children and to do what’s in the best interests of children when adoption meets that criterion. With

this as the focal point, the process also gives comfort to the birth parents that the children whom they

created are in permanent, stable families, that the various relevant government entities know that the

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