Adoption Law, Increases Adoptions, Creates More Orphans

A federal adoption law passed in 1997 with the intention to increase adoption actually creates more orphans as it increases adoption of foster children reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The law produced an increase in the number of children who were legally made orphans but not adopted. 117,395 children have been legally severed from their biological mothers and fathers since the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) was passed, but often adoptive parents have not been found.

The foster children continue to live in foster care or group homes, but most are denied all contact with their biological relatives as they await an adoption that may never happen .

The Post-Gazette says termination of legal ties to parents has to happen before a child may be adopted. By making parental rights terminate sooner, the ASFA enabled more adoptions but at the same time left more children legally orphans without biogical or adoptive parents.

The National Adoption rate rose sharply after the act passed, to a high of 52,546 in 2002, with a 54 % average annual increase, but at the same time there was an increase of 82% the number of terminations of parental rights. The Post-Gazette goes on to say in each of the six years since the act became law, more children saw their parents' rights terminated than were adopted.

Supporters of the law say the adoptions are an important accomplishment, and if more effort is made orphans eventually will be adopted.