Adoption
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For the Adopt-a-user project in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Adopt-a-User

This article is about child adoption. See also: adoption (software implementation).

Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent or parents other than the birth parents. Adoption results in the severing of the parental responsibilities and rights of the biological parents and the placing of those responsibilities and rights onto the adoptive parents. After the finalization of an adoption, there is generally no legal difference between biological and adopted children in most jurisdictions.

Different jurisdictions have varying laws on adoption and post-adoption. Some practice confidential or closed adoption, strictly limiting the availability to adopted persons (and their families) of information on biological families. Others have varying degrees of open adoption, which may allow for such contact. In some jurisdictions, open adoptions are not legally enforceable agreements. As of October, 2006, 22 U.S. states have legal provisions for enforceable open adoption contact agreements.[1]