International vs. Domestic Adoption – Medical History
By Elizabeth Ehlen, 4/18/08
Birthparent information and/or medical history is one major difference between foreign and domestic adoption. In international adoption, you may or may not have any information on the birthfamily, and little or unreliable medical history. Many families have arrived in a country to pick up their child only to find out that there were major medical problems that had not previously been disclosed or admitted, and the child to whom they have already become emotionally attached has severe medical issues that they may not be prepared to handle. This puts the family in the distressing position of whether or not to continue their plan to adopt the child, which is quite gut-wrenching. With domestic adoption it is likely that while you may not get a complete medical history, you will have at least the delivery records and a basic, self-disclosed medical and social history on the birthmother, and possibly the birthfather. It is important to understand that even in domestic adoption there are no guarantees, and it is unlikely that you will receive every last detail. It is also important to understand that even with biological children there are no guarantees, and it is unrealistic to expect a birthfamily with absolutely no issues in their medical history. Be reasonable with your expectations, and realize that while your adoption professional will get as much information as possible, unexpected issues may still arise. Just as you may have family members with various ailments, so will the birthfamily, and you must expect to see some medical history. It is important to figure out what you can handle, but but don't limit yourself too much or you will not be presented to very many birthmoms as a potential adoptive family. For instance, in the area of mental health, depression is a fairly common in medical history, and it is likely that you have someone in your family who has struggled with it, even if you are unaware of it. On the other hand, schizophrenia is also in mental health history, and this is a rather serious mental disorder with difficult behavior implications and lifelong medication. You must know what you can handle, and be able to effectively communicate that to your agency. It puts the agency in an extremely difficult position if you decline a match with the birthfamily. Particularly if you have said you are able to handle something, and then back out when you are matched with a birthmom who has that history, your agency or attorney has to essentially tell the birthmother that her baby isn't good enough, and of course that is devastating, both for the birthmom and the agency worker who genuinely wants to help her (I speak from experience here, obviously). Do your research, or ask the agency for a basic list of medical, social and inheritable disorders that you can look over and utilize.
