Adoption and Drugs and Alcohol Exposure

When adopting a child, prospective adoptive parents must understand that they give up control of a number of things, one of the most difficult being control over the expectant mothers actions during her pregnancy. Many, probably most, expectant mothers take good care of themselves during their pregnancies because they love their unborn babies and only want what is best for them. However, many substances are addictive and not as easy to put aside as one might think. Regardless of an expectant mother’s motivation, substance abuse is a problem in adoption, most likely under-reported, and an issue which prospective adoptive parents should consider prior to embarking on an adoption journey.

Adoption Attorneys Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., know that many prospective birth mothers are honest about substance abuse because they tell us the drugs and alcohol they have consumed. A birth mother may lie when denying using drugs, or alcohol, or both, but it is not likely they are lying when they admit to using illegal substances.

Adoption Attorneys Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., are always looking for families interested in adopting babies whose birth mothers were known to have used drugs and abused alcohol. Likewise, we are always in need of families to adopt children whose birth mothers’ medical history includes Bipolarism. If you or anyone you know are interested adopting a child exposed to drugs, alcohol, or whose medical history includes bipolarism, please contact us at Kirsh and Kirsh, P.C. One thing is certain, and not subject to debate: those children born to women who used drugs and abused alcohol during their pregnancies are innocent victims. They had no control over their birth mother’s actions or choices and need and deserve good homes, just like all children – maybe more if their the birth mothers continue to use drugs and abuse alcohol after the birth.

If you are considering adopting a child who has been exposed to drugs or alcohol, or both, you should consult medical professionals to understand the risks involved. Kirsh and Kirsh, P.C., is not qualified or able to give medical advice about anything, including, but not limited to, the long term effects of drug and alcohol exposure on an unborn child.

A couple of interesting links that you might want to explore are listed below. We are not endorsing the findings, as we are not qualified to do so. We are just making the information available to assist families in doing their “due diligence” in deciding whether or not to pursue the adoption of a substance exposed child:

Emory Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development: http://www.psychiatry.emory.edu/PROGRAMS/GADrug/

The Impact of Maternal High Risk Behaviors on Child Development: Related Resources and Websites: http://www.gacasa.org/docs/Maternal%20Substance%20Abuse.pdf

Low to Moderate Alcohol Intake During Pregnancy and Risk of Psychomotor Deficits (A Danish Study): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21995343