Debunking Common Adoption Myths
Adopting a child is both an exciting and, at times, overwhelming and confusing journey. With so much information available from so many different sources, it’s hard to know what’s what. Thankfully. AGCI has more than 30 years of experience advocating for children and disrupting trauma. Decades of service have led us to unlock the truth behind the six most common adoption myths, so we can share them with you, too!
Adoption is only for wealthy families.
At our core, we help children who need family. Wealth does not necessarily correlate to being able to provide a child with a loving and committed family who can meet their needs. Contrary to popular belief, families in all income brackets are able to adopt! Over our 30+ years of experience uniting families, we have seen families get creative in countless ways to fundraise and secure resources.
There are so many adoption grants and financing options that can help make adoption possible for your family! Brittany’s Hope Grant and the AGCI Adoption Grant Fund are just two examples of adoption grants available to help families with adoption costs, but there are dozens of other grant organizations that exist to aid adopting families. And don’t forget about tax credits and military subsidies.
We know adoption costs can feel overwhelming. However, it’s important to understand that we have structured all fees to be spaced out and paid overtime, so payments aren’t due all at once. At AGCI, we are committed to minimizing fees whenever possible and work to be truly transparent, so if you ever have questions about the fee schedule, just ask!
No matter your financial situation, don’t let the cost deter you—if you feel called to adopt, we believe God will open the right doors and help you find a way!
To learn more about available adoption assistance, please begin your journey with us by completing a free pre-app.
2. International adoption isn’t ethical.
Sadly, not all agencies provide ethical adoptions. However, at All God’s Children International, we are determined to follow God’s calling for adoption to always be ethical!
We are a Hague-accredited agency and are dedicated to ensuring that all of our adoption programs are completely ethical and held to the highest standards. As child advocates and trauma disruptors, we are passionate about finding families for children, not children for families. The well-being of the child is always our first priority, and we always seek to reunite or preserve families whenever possible before we consider adoption for a child.
3. Adoption takes too long.
Adoption—like most things—does not happen overnight. However, there are some ways for the process to go a little faster. Wait time significantly decreases based on a family’s openness to special needs, older children, and sibling groups.
Our smaller program sizes allow for close, personal relationships, so we can better know our families and make better matches. Our team is committed to a well-supported referral process to ensure our families are very prepared and have as much information as possible when it comes time to make referral decisions. AGCI will also provide paperwork calls to help families reach their goals and finish the paperwork process as quickly as possible!
For more information on the country programs that currently have the shortest wait times, please reach out to us at inquiry@allgodschildren.org.
4. Relatives may find my child and take them back.
Legally, this isn’t possible.
Once final, adoption is permanent and irrevocable. Before a child can be placed with a family, they must first be legally relinquished by their birth parents or go through the abandonment process. To go through the abandonment process, the central authority of the child’s home country needs to show that they have tried to contact all biological family members before the child can be placed for adoption. If the family is responsive to contact, they must then decide that they are unable to care for the child, or the government may reach this conclusion as well.
5. The only children eligible for adoption have very severe special needs or are older.
The term “special needs” may seem scary or overwhelming at first. It’s important to keep in mind that certain special needs labels look different for every child. For example, cerebral palsy does not progress with age, and there is a very wide range of what this can look like. Contrary to common belief, many children with cerebral palsy are still able to walk.
It’s also important to remember that all children in need of adoption have experienced trauma by the sheer fact that they are not being raised in their biological family. AGCI’s adoption training platform, Families Are Forever, takes all of these factors into account and prepares families to parent children from all backgrounds.
If you have questions or concerns about special needs, reach out to our team at inquiry@allgodschildren.org. We also encourage you to pray through various special needs—you may be surprised what God gives you peace to be open to!
6. “I can’t adopt because...”
“I can’t adopt because I’m single.” There are many adoption opportunities for single women! Click here to see our current International Adoption Programs or fill out a free pre-app for more information on program eligibility.
“My health condition disqualifies me from adopting.” Health conditions are considered on a case-by-case basis and many countries have different rules regarding physical and mental health conditions. Many countries are moving toward accepting these diagnoses if the condition is “mild” or well-controlled. In most cases, if a doctor endorses the adoptive parent as being stable and able to adopt, there are no issues.
There are infinite “I can’t adopt because...” statements. No matter what your unique situation is, it is worth reaching out to our team at inquiry@allgodschildren.org!
At AGCI, we’ve been uniting children with their loving forever families for more than 30 years! By providing the absolute best in adoption support as well helping make your in-country experience as seamless as possible, we are dedicated to ensuring our families are never alone and are well supported with an experienced team no matter which phase of the process they happen to be in.
Have more questions about adoption? Our team is happy to help! Please reach out to us at inquiry@allgodschildren.org, or fill out a free pre-app now to begin your journey!