Single Parent Adoption
Do You Have to be Married to Adopt?

Who Says You Need to "Fit the Mold" to Adopt a Child

When adopting a child, you are responsible for taking care of all the child's needs ranging from emotional to financial. In the past, child adoption was restricted to "normal and stable" couples only. This was defined as a couple of opposite-gender and who were legally married with solid financial means.

However, in today’s society, we are more open-minded. Laws have been put into place that allow for more casual adoption alternatives. Some of the different alternatives are listed below.

Single Parent Adoption

Some organizations or agencies still feel that having both a father and a mother is very important for the proper upbringing of a child. However, more adoption agencies are recognizing that single parent adoption now has a better rate of success. They often feel that this is due to the amount of time and devotion the single parent can give to their child.

In general, single parent adoption requirements are the same as a traditional adoption requirements, for example, a stable income and finances, a good social background, and a parent who is of a mature age between 25 and 45 years old.

However, if there are any past issues of criminal activity, especially, spousal or child abuse, there is no partner to act as a check or balance in the family. Also, single male parents are scrutinized much more closely than females, especially if the potential adoptive child is female.

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Same-Gender Marriage Adoptions

Nevertheless, the hurdles to same-gender couples adopting a child have much less to do with the couple's ability to raise and care for a child, as it has to do with local prejudices that exist against homosexuality.

For some gay and lesbian couples they have been able to get past this problem simply by having one of them adopt a child under the Single Parent Adoption option.

Some states support same sex adoption, however regardless of this, adoption agencies and the courts can still refuse any adoption request by a gay couple if they decide that the majority of the people will cause social difficulties for the adoptive child later in life.

The latest research on Gay Couple Adoptions

Unmarried Couple Adoption

An unmarried couple adoption can be avoided simply when one person applies as a single adoptive parent. Of course the other person living in your household will need to undergo the remainder of the adoption process with you.

Or what some couples have done who have not undergone marriage, is they will apply as co-adoptive parents, with one of you taking on the majority of legal responsibility for the child and the other being responsible for financial support.

Aside from the usual legal requirements involved, it is the agency representative’s obligation to find out why the couple in question hasn't married.

Whether they are approved or rejected, as adoptive parents will depend on the answers the agency gets. They will try to avoid unstable couples that might possibly break off their relationship with each other at a later time. The end result for the adoptive child would only be a "broken home" type trauma.

Elderly Couple Adoptions

Of all the "special condition" adoption types, this is perhaps the most widely socially accepted form. The financial capacity, maturity and nurturing ability of elderly couples are rarely called into question in these cases.

Agencies favor elderly couple adoptions because of the experience and wisdom of elderly couples. Whether this is their first child, or whether they are adopting because they want to raise another child since their natural-born children have grown and moved out.

The only real hindrance to elderly couples wanting to adopt a child is the state of their physical health. There is the potential that the couple may pass away of old age while their adoptive child is still relatively young, however, a clean bill of health and proper certification from doctors are usually enough to solve this issue.

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