adoption

From Latin adopted, adoption is the act of adopting. This verb refers to receive as a child who is not biologically so, with compliance with various requirements and obligations established by the law.

Adoption, in this sense, is a legal act that establishes a kinship bond between two people with a relationship analogous to paternity. The legislation establishes various conditions for those who wish to adopt a child, such as a minimum and / or maximum age and the need to have full capacity for the exercise of civil rights.

For example: "The adoption of Miguel has changed our lives", "I would love to have a child, but the adoption procedures are very complex", "My biological parents gave me up for adoption when I was two years old.", "Adoption is an act of love and commitment".

In some cases, it is possible to distinguish between simple adoption (It does not imply the automatic substitution of surnames and the adopted child does not have the same right than the natural child in the order of testamentary succession) and the full adoption (Provides the same rights as natural filiation).

It is known as international adoption to adoption by which a couple becomes the legal and permanent carrier of a child born in another country. This is often the case for men and women from developed countries who travel to third world nations to adopt a child.

The single parent adoptionFinally, it is the adoption by a homosexual couple. This type of adoption is only authorized by certain laws, since it still has a high level of rejection Social in many countries.

General requirements for the adoption of a child

Although in each country the requirements to adopt a child are slightly different, there are certain patterns that all nations follow to provide this right only to certain people.

First is the age of adopting individuals. As is logical, there is a minimum age to be able to take care of another person, since it is necessary to enjoy all the rights and be in a position to fulfill all the obligations of an adult to embark on this particular and difficult task.

To cite two examples, in Spain it is required that one of the parties has turned 25, while in Argentina the minimum is 30, although it is possible to reduce it by proving a marriage bond of at least 3 years or, speaking of heterosexual couples, certifying through a doctor the inability of the woman to get pregnant. The complexity of this requirement It does not end here, since in each country there are exceptions and special cases.

But the numbers present more obstacles when requesting an adoption, since a maximum distance is also usually required between the age of the adoptee and that of the youngest of the two adopters. Sometimes, as in the case of Argentine legislation, it is also necessary to exceed the adoptee's age by at least 18 years, which is taken as a guarantee that their parents will have the maturity necessary to assume their upbringing with responsibility.

Another of the most common requirements is usually to have permanent residence in the country of application, or to have resided there for a specified time; It goes without saying that this only occurs in countries where international adoption is not accepted.

The process Adoption is hard and time consuming, and it is necessary to go through a series of phases to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills to face the education of a child, but also the legitimate will to do so. To verify the veracity of an application, different measures are usually used, such as interviews and visits to the applicants' homes.