Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to be governed by greater comprehensive procedures and regulations. Adoption can also be traced back to ancient times. Ancient adoption practices put emphasis on the political and economic interests of the person that's adopting, providing a legal tool that strengthened political relationships between wealthy families and created male heirs to manage estates. The use of adoption by the aristocracy is extremely well noted throughout history. For some societies, historical studies suggest that the goal of adoption was to ensure the continuity of cultural and religious practices, vastly different from western counterparts in contrast to the idea of extending family lines. Over the years, adoption became an obvious solution for not only unwed mothers but also couples dealing with infertility. Globally, England and Wales established their first formal adoption law in 1926. The Netherlands passed its law in 1956. Sweden made adoptees full members of the family in 1959. West Germany enacted its first laws in 1977. Additionally, the Asian powers opened their orphanage systems to adoption, influenced as they were by Western ideas following colonial rule and military occupation. In …show more content…
Adoption laws procedures vary from country to country, and often times even within a country. In several countries, children must be first legally recognized as eligible to be adopted internationally before any type of adoption or custody proceedings take place. If the birth parent is still living, the child must be legally and irrevocably be released for adoption in a procedure provided for under local law. It is also important to note that a country's determination of the child as an orphan or Convention adoptee does not guarantee that the child will be considered an orphan or Convention adoptee under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (Office of Children’s Issues). Many foreign countries have different legal procedures. Potential adopters must take this into consideration when making this decision, they often must research foreign country adoption requirements. Some countries, however, allow single-parent adoption, while others forbid it. Some countries have age or income requirements for adoptive parents. Requirements can also change very quickly. The regulations, requirements, and procedures for adopting may seem confusing and sometimes frustrating. Every year thousands of U.S. citizens adopt children from abroad and many families in other countries adopt children from the U.S. Intercountry adoption is governed by both the laws of