Maryland Family Law Maryland family law opinions and commentary
On Nov. 18, the United States celebrated National Adoption Day, which is held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Many local courts across Maryland and around the country celebrate National Adoption Day by having adoption hearings and special events.
This year, the Baltimore City Circuit Court celebrated 22 foster children who found their forever families by holding adoption hearings and associated activities on National Adoption Day.
The ceremonial courtroom in the Clarence Mitchell Court House was packed full of smiling faces.
Presiding over the National Adoption Day proceedings were the Honorable Audrey J. S. Carrion, the administrative and chief judge of the Baltimore City Circuit Court, the Honorable Michael A. DiPietro, judge in charge of the family division and the Honorable Charles M. Blomquist, judge in charge of the juvenile division.
The joyful event was organized by the Bar Association of Baltimore City and included the adoption hearings, gift baskets for the children, and family photos.
This celebration of family was heartwarming for all involved.
The history of adoption in the United States shows the development of institutional responses to the plight of children who are not being raised by their biological parents.
In antiquity, adoptions took place to benefit the adoptive families, i.e., to provide a male heir or another laborer to the family.
Even as geographic distances between adoptable children and adoptive families grew, adoptions still primarily occurred within the children’s own ethnic communities.
With the influx of large numbers of immigrants to the United States and the movement of Native Americans to reservations in the United States, a shift in focus began to occur.
The United States enacted its first adoption laws, the Adoption of Children Act, in Massachusetts in 1851.
The act sought to find “fit and proper” parents for orphaned children. This legislation sought to make adoptions focused on the best interest of children.
However, practices such as “Orphan Trains” and the exiling of Native American children to off-reservation boarding schools persisted; the concept of “best interest” was influenced by the notion that parentless children needed to be mainstreamed and civilized.
Adoptions in the United States peaked in 1970 with approximately 180,000 adoptions that year.
In 1976, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis celebrated adoptions by declaring an adoption awareness week.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton designated November as National Adoption Month.
Then, on Nov. 18, 2000, the founding partners, including The Dave Thomas Foundation, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and The Child Action Network observed the first National Adoption Day.
Today, adoption is prevalent in the United States, as one in 25 families have an adopted member.
In the United States, there are 4.5 million adopted children, about 7% of the U.S. population in 2010.
In 2019, approximately 115,353 children were adopted.
Adoptions can occur through private or public agencies.
According to The Children’s Bureau, in September 2021, an estimated 114,000 foster children in the U.S. needed a loving forever home.
The average age of a child waiting to be adopted is 7.5 years old, and a child waits an average of 19 months after termination of parental rights to be adopted.
Adoptive families provide the love and stability that children need.
Research by Oxford University shows that Australian children who are adopted out of foster care have better life outcomes, e.g., 63% of adoptees completed year 12 in education versus only 42% of adults who had grown up in foster care.
The adoptees were engaged in full-time employment, education, or training at a rate of 62% versus 34% for adults who had grown up in foster care.
National Adoption Day is not only a day for individual families to enjoy but to draw a spotlight on the need for forever families and the adoption process.
Adoption provides permanency for so many deserving children, supports families, and enriches society.
National Adoption Day is a great day of celebration!
Chris Ziemski is a staff attorney at Maryland Legal Aid.
