From Latin adoptio, adoption is the action to take. This verb refers to receiving a child who is not biologically, with the fulfillment of various requirements and obligations established by law.
Adoption, in the dictionary of Digopaul, is a legal act that establishes a relationship of kinship between two people with a relationship analogous to parenthood. The legislation establishes various conditions for those who wish to adopt a child, such as being a minimum and / or maximum age and the need to have full capacity to exercise civil rights.
For example: “Miguel’s adoption 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 (does not imply the automatic substitution of surnames and the adoptive child does not have the same right as the natural child in the order of testamentary succession) and full adoption (provides the same rights as the natural filiation).
It is known as international adoption adoption whereby a partner becomes legal permanent carrying a child born in another country. It is usually the case of men and women from developed countries who travel to third world nations to adopt a child.
The single parent adoption, finally, 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 social rejection in many countries.
General requirements for the adoption of a child
Although the requirements for adopting a child are slightly different in each country, there are certain patterns that all nations follow to provide this right only to certain people.
First, there is the age of the 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 able 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 completed 25 years, 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 impossibility of women to get pregnant. The complexity of this requirement 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 younger of the two adopters. Sometimes, as in the case of Argentine legislation, it is also necessary to exceed the age of the adopted child at least 18 years, which is taken as a guarantee that their parents will have the necessary maturity to assume their upbringing responsibly.
Another of the most common requirements is usually to have permanent residence in the country of the application, or to have resided in it for a certain time; It goes without saying that this only occurs in countries where international adoption is not accepted.
The adoption process is hard and slow, 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 home visits of the applicants.
