We researched a lot of different programs and narrowed it down between domestic and South Korea. I know these probably seem like night and day choices, so why did we pick South Korea?
One of the major concerns we had about adopting state side was not knowing a great deal about the baby. Although we would be able to adopt the baby almost immediately after birth (a definite plus in many ways), if the baby was exposed to alcohol or drugs it might not show until several months of age. (Agencies do not test birth mothers for drug or alcohol abuse during the pregnancy). One of the big movements in domestic adoption is "open adoptions," and Jon and I weren't very comfortable about continuing to meet the birth mother throughout our child's formative years, especially if the baby's first family is in the NW and we plan to move back to AZ in a few years. In some ways we also felt like adopting a child in America felt, at times, a little like buying a baby. It's amazing that some agencies and companies can guarantee a child to you faster if you pay more money upfront. It just doesn't seem right!
We looked at several international programs before deciding on South Korea. We liked South Korea because of all we looked at (Russia, Ukraine, China, Mongolia, etc) the babies were raised in foster families instead of orphanages. The institutional delays common in babies who don't receive lots of one-on-one care aren't present because the children in South Korea have lots of personal attention from their foster family.
South Korea's medical system is also on par with that of the US and Canada, so babies are given extensive medical care throughout their time in South Korea. We also will receive medical reports on the baby when we receive our referral, probably when the baby is between 5-6 months of age. Although I'm sad that I will miss out on these important first few months, I am thankful that our child will be well taken care of during this time. (Although if you ask me about this after we receive our referral I might not be so matter of fact about this).
Many international adoption programs have strict guidelines of who can adopt from their family. They look at how long you have been married, if you have any divorces, your height/weight ratio, if you have any other children, etc. The waits for some programs are also very extensive: China is between 4-5 years (!) right now.
Since we have decided to adopt I have been readings lots of books on South Korea and on international adoption in general. If you'd like, you can check out our blog about our adoption. We have lots more information there, and we plan on keeping it updated fairly often over the course of this journey. (If you end up posting a comment, please try to keep it anonymous since it's a public blog.)
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