Single Parent Adoptions

Single-parent adoption is quickly becoming more and more common. Even celebrities like Angelina Jolie (whose adopted children are from both Ethiopia and Cambodia) and Meg Ryan (whose baby girl is from China) chose to adopt even though they were unmarried at the time of the adoption. It wasn't all that long ago when it would have been impossible to find an adoption agency that would have approved a single person to adopt a child. Single-parent adoption was actually illegal in many states in the US. Today, the majority of adoption agencies (particularly public agencies who place US-born children with adoptive families) encourage single-parent adoption. Still, there are some agencies that are less willing to work with singles and some that will not accept prospective adoptive parents who are unmarried at all.

When wishing to adopt internationally, an unmarried person may be limited as to which countries they can adopt from. Certain countries such as China and Guatemala may require proof (signed legal statements) that the prospective adoptive parent is not homosexual. Some countries simply do not allow single-parent adoption, no matter what the person's sexual orientation is. These countries include (but are not limited to) Thailand and Korea. Some foreign countries have strict quotas on how many adoptions can be to single-parents. In China, for example, only up to 8% of the total number of adoptions can be to unmarried people. Other countries are open to adoption by single parents. Every foreign country has its own laws regarding marital status requirements.

Single-parent adoption doesn't come without controversy, though. It is much more widely accepted than in previous decades, but not everyone thinks adopting a child while single is a good idea. Traditional two-parent homes are ideal, but with the number of single-parent households on the rise and agencies struggling to find homes for older children and children with disabilities, single-parent adoptions are more acceptable. There should be no reason why single parents cannot help with the shortage of homes for older children and children with special needs when these parents can give them the loving, permanent and stable environment they desperately need. Single parents may be able to give children more personal one-on-one attention which is perfect for older children who have experienced trauma and abuse.