ABSTRACT
Adoption is a common practice in the United States and in other developed countries. It is estimated that 2 percent of American children are adopted, and approximately 4 percent of all Americans, both children and adults, have been adopted by people who are not related to them by birth. These estimates are similar to those for Australia and for the countries of Western Europe. Many more Americans are affected by adoption: more than 60 percent of adults in the United States have had some experience with adoption, either as adoptive parents themselves or through relatives or friends who have adopted.
