I understand your frustration, but international adoptions do not necessarily take so long as you say--- years and years. I have adopted from Russia twice and each time it was less than six months from paperwork turned in to home with my children. Domestic adoption can take many years with many more limitations as you said---- which I why I adopted internationally, and now have two wonderful children.

JEn, Who cares if celebrities get their babies faster. We should be thankfull that these babies are being adopted....period! Think of someone other than yourself for one second!

My husband and I were very fortunate to adopt an American child. It took approximately 6 weeks from the time that I mentioned the desire to adopt to a friend of mine, to the day the baby was born and entered our lives. The friend had heard about someone wanting to give her unborn child up for adoption to a loving home and we were given the woman's number. We contacted her and she told us she just wanted the baby to be happy. We had to pay for the doctor bills, hospital bills and lawyer. We were not allowed to give the birth mother any kind of reimbursement or gifts because that would be considered buying the child. The baby was born on and the next day we picked the child up from the hospital. Within a year, after going thru home sudies and all that adoption entails, the court approved the adoption. I realize we were extremely blessed to have had such ease in our adoption process, but I don't think other people realize that they can network with their friends and family to have this kind of happy outcome.

Not necessarily. I know people who have adopted from China and it took less than a year. I think that where ever you can adopt a child, that is one more child going to parents who really want him or her. What another poster said is correcth though - an American adoption can be filled with loop holes and the child could be taken back by the biological parents even years after bonding with the adopted family. I'd probably go outside the US to adopt too.

She is adopting a special needs child so that makes the process go quicker. Not everyone is willing to take children with problems. She was a surprised as anyone that it took such a short time.

I saw Katherine on the Ellen show. She said that the process was short because her daughter is a special needs child.

The nationwide rule for adopting for South Korea is you have to be married for 3 years - she has not (Jan 2008).
She seriously jumped the line and got a little one who should have gone to someone else. I realize she is a celebrity but this is ridiculous.
I have been waiting 3 years...

What a beautiful poem! Will pass on to my son for sure!

I too adopted a child from Korea. I can tell you that the other countries seem to want to find a home for their children and do not expect you to pay an outragous dollar amount. US makes it so hard and expensive to adopt. The extra 10 to 20 thousand the US wants you to pay would go a long way in providing for that child.

But FYI I also adopted a special needs white child from the US. A private placement.

Everytime I hear someone make this statement it makes my blood boil. As the parent of two beautidul children who are adopted, one from China and one from Russia. There are lots of reasons why domestic adoption lags, the foster-care system is bogged down with parental rights that never get terminated, social-workers who slow-down the process, courts who do not recognize adoption parents and their rights, all sorts of reasons, domestic adoptions for babies are riddled with fraud, bio parents who challenge adoption parents, fraud etc...All children deserve a forever home. So my question to YOU is why arent you adopting or being a foster parent?

We adopted a beautiful little girl from China about 6 years ago. We waited a total of 13 months from the day our dossier was sent to China until we got the referral ,which was the day before Thanksgiving. The reason we went foreign was due to the fact that the biological mom has the right to change her mind. Did anyone ever watch any of those movies made about adoptions and how after three years or so the mom came back and said she wanted the child back,and she won. We could never handle giving a child back after we bonded .Also,China was so wonderful,caring and a beautiful place to visit,I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Who cares where they adopt from.. Try looking at it differently. Just for the fact that anyone gives a child a home is what should matter. Kids in the the United States are still alot more fortunate then kids from other countries. At least they get fed hear in our systems. Outside the country they can go for days without food. Stop looking at it in such a negative light. Either way it's a blessing for the child.

Who the hell cares where the kid is from?? A kid from the US is no more deserving than a kid from Korea and vice-versa. A baby that didn't have a home has one now, and I think that is beautiful.

I'm 100% agree with you