One of the first decisions that parents will have to make once they decide to adopt is “domestic or international” adoption. While I am writing the “Transracial Adoption Options” category and giving information on countries/programs for transracial adoption, I am writing this post because this topic goes hand in hand with that information.

I know from firsthand experience that one of the questions that bothers parents of internationally adopted children the most is, “Why would you adopt from another country when there are children who need a home here in the U.S.?” There definitely are a lot of people who have the attitude that we should take care of the orphans here in the U.S. before we adopt orphans from other countries. So why do people choose to adopt internationally over domestically and vice versa?

The truth is that yes, there are many children in the United States that need homes. There are hundreds of thousands of children waiting in foster care at any given time and domestic newborn adoptions, especially of children of minority races, are also an option. There are benefits to adopting children in the United States. For one, adopting children that are in the foster care system is extremely inexpensive, and often times (but not all the time) there is a monthly subsidy available until the child turns 18 years old as well as medical insurance.

Children adopted from the United States do not have the level of culture shock that children adopted internationally do, and there is no language barrier, which is often one of the largest struggles when people adopt older children from other countries.

Adopting a newborn domestically is much more costly than a foster adoption, but the benefits include being able to get a baby at only days or even hours old, sometimes being able to develop a relationship with the baby’s birth mother and family, no international travel and not having to deal with the United States Immigration!

And yet on the flip side, there are many pros to adopting internationally. For one, domestic newborn adoption is not for everyone, especially for people who have suffered from infertility, because it is very common to wait for a long period of time and to have one or more “matches” with a baby or birthmother fall through before having a baby placed with you.

And adopting from the foster care system is full of its own challenges. For one, the children available for adoption through the foster care system frequently have special needs, of either an emotional or medical nature. The system itself can be extremely frustrating and difficult to deal with.

International adoption appeals to many because despite the increased costs and paperwork when compared to many domestic adoptions, there are literally millions of children in the world waiting for a home right now. While international adoption can have its ups and downs, (especially in regards to waiting periods), the process, especially if you use a reputable agency with established programs, can be fairly predictable. Children are readily available and in great need of families. I have heard many people say that while every child deserves a family, they adopted internationally because orphans in China or Africa, etc. have no hope and no future, while in the U.S., even children in foster care have opportunities for college educations, jobs and a future.

Obviously this is an extremely personal decision with no one right or wrong answer. Each prospective adoptive parent needs to do their own research and decide what adoption program is right for them. Personally, my husband and I have adopted three children internationally and three children domestically, so we truly know the pros and cons of both sides. I can tell you for sure that whichever option you choose, there are many, many wonderful children in desperate need of loving homes and forever families.

For some great information regarding adoption choices you can check out the foster care adoption blog, the international adoption blog and the Hoping to adopt blog .