Adoptions Child International Parents Adopt Offer Present Cases

International adoptions offer many "potential" (possible) "benefits" (advantages; pros) to American families, but they also present several "pitfalls" (disadvantages; cons) that may not be present in domestic adoptions. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that international adoptions can be made from a larger "pool" (group) of "orphans" (children whose parents have died). This is especially true for "cases" (situations) where people want to adopt an "infant" (a baby, less than 6-12 months old). In March 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human services reported that there were more than six million infants available for adoption "overseas" (in other countries), compared to only 60,000 domestically.

In many cases, the requirements for adoptions are less "stringent" (strict; difficult to meet) in other countries than in the United States. Sometimes "prospective" (someone who wants to do something or is interest in something) adoptive parents are not "granted" (given; issued) permission to adopt a child domestically because they already have several children, are over a certain age, or cannot offer an appropriate home. These couples may choose to adopt internationally to "avoid" (not deal with) such requirements.

However, international adoptions can be extremely expensive, especially since they involve large travel costs. There may also be "subsequent" (happening later) questions about whether the child's parents agree to "put their child up for adoption" (offered for adoption), and written records may be limited. In some cases, there are concerns that the birth parents were paid or "coerced" (forced to do something) to put up their child for adoption.