Adoption is arguably one of the most selfless and giving acts people are capable of. There are many reasons people choose adoption for their child. Some parents feel they are physically, emotionally, and financially incapable of caring for their child, while others decide they just want a better life for their kids then they can possibly provide. Today I will be talking about the adoption process, laws and qualifications, and learning to cope with adoption. First I will talk about the adoption process. After the initial decision of adopting you will receive an information packet that includes forms you will need to fill out about yourself. Theses forms are similar to medical background forms you fill out at the doctor. They are used confidentially and aren’t part of the legal adoption paperwork, so your final decision about the adoption isn’t required upon the return of the forms. Creating an adoption plan is one of the next step, where you will be given the opportunity to select the adoptive family. You will be able to meet with the family, if desired, and choose an open or closed adoption. When your baby is born the adoption specialist will review the adoption plan to make sure everything is happening the right way. Upon discharge from the hospital, as long as you are still comfortable with the adoption plan, it will be time to give the baby to the adoptive family, which is often called placement. At this time you will also sign the legal adoption documents and your adoption specialist will explain more details to insure that both you and the adoptive family understand the adoption plan. Now I will explain the laws and qualifications of adoption. Adoption is a legal arrangement where parental rights are transferred from the birth parents to adoptive parents, who become legally responsible for the child they adopt and must obtain all legal parental rights with regard of the child. This legal process is so complete that a new birth certificate is issued to the child showing the adoptive parents’ names as the mother and father at the time of birth. The original birth certificate is then sealed and can only be accessed under court orders. The qualifications for adoption include interviews of both adoptive parents and the child, investigation of criminal, marital, medical, and employment backgrounds, home study, and access to the child’s records. Adoption agencies conduct rather extensive examination of people who wish to adopt to ensure they are fit to do so. During the home study and interview questions like “ is the house clean and safe?”, “is there room for the child?”, “how long have the applicants been