Adoption Can Be New Beginning

Chennai: The Supreme Court this week observed that adoption is part of the right to reproductive autonomy and struck down a law which said a woman would be eligible for maternity leave if she legally adopts a child below the age of three months, holding it as discriminatory. Also, the apex court urged the Centre to come out with a provision recognizing paternity leave as a social security benefit.

Adoption in our country is not only a legally structured process that helps in adoption of orphaned, abandoned or surrendered children, but also regulated by the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and Adoption Regulations 2022, to ensure the child’s safety.

Adoption, a child-centric legal process, overseen by statutory nodal agency Central Adoption Resource Authority, ensures all adoptions are legal, ethical and in the best interests of the little one. Adoption primarily aims at moving children from home care institutions to family-based care and help in improving their physical, mental and emotional development. It provides them loving homes, legal rights and a secure future. Growing awareness has led to a better societal acceptance of adoption than before.

Now, foster care regulations permit a man or woman to foster children, with the option of converting to adoption after two years. Even high courts and the apex court have upheld that single parents, including unmarried individuals, have the right to adopt. In our country, single-parent adoption has been championed by a few celebrities who have adopted children and given them loving and nurturing homes.

At the same time, illegal adoption is a serious criminal offence similar to child trafficking and is strictly prohibited leading to jail term and hefty fine. Adoption can be a difficult journey, usually marked by lengthy procedures, legal and ethical complexities and of course emotional challenges, but the efforts can definitely lead to a deeply rewarding bond with the child.