The adoption culture of India

India has a culture that placed a lot of value on marriage, family, and fertility that the idea of adopting a child seems to signify an inadequacy or shortcoming in a marriage. In fact adoption is seen as the last resort, generally, for couples who have problems in conceiving a biological child. This feeling of “inadequacy” is instilled by society and families. Hence the families that went through adoption, majorly, is done in secrecy with little or no family support. Debatable, but there is no uniform adoption law in India.

A lot things in India have been changing, but unfortunately things have remained the same in case of adoption. Amongst Indian population, about 30-40% are children (approximately), and about 20% are adoptable (again, approximately). Yet only 10% or less are legally up for adoption (cannot stress enough, approximately). The problem essentially lies in the fact that there is a general lack of awareness about child adoption in our country. Children below 6 years whose care-takers are unable to care for them can be relinquished at an adoption agency after following the required procedure. Likewise, a child found abandoned and whose caretakers cannot be traced, if eligible, can be declared ‘legally free for adoption’ by the Child Welfare Committee. A court-committed child can come into adoption through the Juvenile Welfare Board.

Certain things to keep in mind when it comes to adopting in India. The adoption laws in India are distinguished by religion, marital status, and sexual orientation. Much like everything else in our country. For Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, or Buddhists the adoption is under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, under which single parent or married couple are not permitted to adopt more than one child of the same sex. Foreign citizens, NRIs, and those Indian nations who are Muslims, Parsis, Christians, and Jews are under the Guardian and Wards Act. Under which the adoptive parent is only the guardian of the child until the age of 18. PAPs or Prospective Adoptive Parents are allowed to give preferences as to what kind of child they wish to adopt. Their specifications can be anything. The colour, the features, religion, sex, age, double meat, no cheese, and some salt and pepper. There, you got yourself a fucking Subway sandwich. And obviously live-in couples and/or couples who have been married for less than two years are considered not eligible for adopting a child. Because god knows how long will these kids last, right? And what if they have children, and a sexual fetish.

What should primarily happen is that there should be an evaluation of the prospective parents. NO MATTER WHAT THEY EAT, PRAY, OR SPEAK. These rules are just decreasing the probability of an orphaned child getting a family, home, security, and more importantly love. There is a need for the normalization in the idea and the concept of child adoption in India. Let’s start with not looking at it has a back-up plan for infertile couples. Adoption can be a legitimate family planning for couples, regardless of whether they can conceive a child themselves or not. Spreading awareness about it can help in the normalizing, even though it’s not the convention society follows. Adoption is a beautiful thing, and it can be as beautiful as biological motherhood. It’s a choice and not a last resort.

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