ABSTRACT
The prospect of the artificial status passage for adoption applicants triggers fears that not only illuminate the case of adoption, but also mirror the biological constitution of family. The fears that have existed throughout the entire adoption planning phase about the ability to love a strange child are heightened once again during the phase between the notification or specification of the adoption offer and the first face-to-face encounter. The construction of family in the case of adoption is typically ushered in over the phone. The technical medium of communication transports the message from the planning institution to the prospective adoptive parents. The communication situation between the adoption counselor and the applicants that generally precedes the first encounter with the child reveals how much importance is attached to the child's nonvisible dimensions. The basis for cooptation is not just the child's current physical existence, but also its history.
