This paper reviews and analyzes international child adoption processes in three countries — China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia — as they relate to American adoptive families. Drawing on adoption guidelines, legal frameworks, and scholarly sources, the paper examines each country's eligibility requirements, costs, timelines, and government policies. It also explores the political and economic forces that drive international adoption, arguing that the growing popularity of foreign adoption in the United States is not merely a social trend but a reflection of deeper structural incentives in sending countries. Key differences among the three countries are identified and discussed in comparative perspective.
From around the world, societies are witnessing a sudden surge in child adoption, both domestically (in-country or local adoption) and internationally (intercountry). This increase is most reflected in the United States, where international child adoption has become more prevalent over the past decade (Gross & Connors, 2007). This trend brings into focus an important dimension that is changing the nature of child adoption not only in the U.S., but also across countries all over the world. Adopting a child from another country and of a different race and culture introduces differences in the processes that adoptive parents must navigate. These differences become apparent when different countries' adoption processes are compared and analyzed on their own merits.
This review and analysis of the adoption processes of the United States and three other countries — China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia — seeks to explore two questions: (1) What is the nature and dynamics of child adoption in each country? and (2) What are the differences in child adoption processes across these countries? This paper also attempts to uncover the popularization of international adoption in the U.S., as evidenced by increasing awareness and expanding knowledge of child adoption processes in different countries. Furthermore, this paper posits that foreign child adoption is more than a popular social phenomenon in the U.S.; it is also a result of the politics and economics that drive adoption processes, most specifically in the cases of China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia.
There is no single standard adoption process for American families who wish to adopt a child from another country. According to Freivalds (2009), the process of adopting a child internationally involves going through procedures that may be distinct and different from country to country. Specifications such as the cost of adoption, parents' ages, family status, and timeline — from start to completion of the adoption — depend on the country from which the family or parents will be adopting. In her 2009 Adoption Guide, Freivalds noted that American families most commonly adopt children from countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Children up to 15 years of age are typically eligible for adoption, and the process is usually mediated by private, nonprofit adoption agencies.
Parents are advised to budget up to $40,000 to facilitate completion of the adoption process. Freivalds also reported that compared to domestic adoption within the U.S., international adoption is relatively easier in terms of requirements, conditions, and timeline. These factors help explain why foreign adoption is increasingly becoming a trend and may eventually become the prevailing practice in child adoption in the United States.
Adopting a child from the Philippines is relatively straightforward for American parents, particularly given ongoing legislative efforts. The proposed "Alternative Child Care Code of 2009" sought to allow "a person eligible to adopt" to "file his or her application for adoption with the National Child Welfare Authority (NCWA) or an accredited or licensed child placing agency." This legislation also supported the existing Republic Act 9523, which declares "an abandoned child legally available for adoption" and is mandated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) (ABS-CBN News Online, August 2009).
These legal initiatives address two social problems in the country: the increasing number of abandoned children and the government's limited capacity to support them once declared abandoned. As a result of the relative ease of adoption from the Philippines, specific requirements are also comparatively simple to meet. These include a budget of up to $25,000 for process completion, eligibility for both married couples and single individuals, a required in-country stay of at least 10 days for at least one parent, and a total adoption timeline of 28–30 months from the completion of requirements to finalization (Adoptive Families, 2009). The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, of which the Philippines is a member, provides an overarching legal framework that guides and regulates this process.
"Stricter rules, gender preferences, economic incentives"
"Fastest timeline, social necessity, illegal agencies"
Foreign child adoption is more than a popular social phenomenon in the United States. More than anything, it is a result of the politics and economics that drive adoption processes, most specifically in the cases of China, the Philippines, and Ethiopia. Each of the three countries examined presents a distinct set of requirements, timelines, costs, and government policies that reflect not only administrative differences but also deeper structural incentives. China's financial gains from mandatory orphanage donations, the Philippines' legislative push to manage a growing abandoned-child population, and Ethiopia's reliance on international adoption as a humanitarian necessity all illustrate how political and economic forces shape the landscape of intercountry adoption. Understanding these dynamics is essential for prospective adoptive parents and policymakers alike.
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