A child is a young human being and adoption is a
process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and in so doing permanently
transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents
(Barbara Melosh September 2009). adoption is a way of providing a child with a substitute family
(Hawkins 2000 2nd Edition) child adoption is the practice in which an adult assumes the role of parent for a child
who is not the adult biological
offspring (Matter 2005 second edition).
Funmilayo and Kolawole, (2006) defined
child adoption as a legal
proceeding where by a court declares a person, who is not a child’s natural
parent to be the child’s legal parent.
Drame (2008) extended in his definition to describe
adoption as a permanent legal assumption of all parent rights and responsibilities
for a child. According to him, adoptive parents have same right and responsibilities
as nature parent. He also distinguishes guardianship for adoption as a non
permanent and meant for caring and for financial supporting of the child which
may be subject to ongoing supervision by the court.
Adoption in developed countries according to Pennington
(2004) is carried out without any secrecy. However the situation differs in
developing countries where adoption is quietly carried out in other not to
expose the fact that “the parent” are not the biological parents.
Matter, (2005) pointed out that for most
countries adoption can be carried out
between individual or thorough public
agencies with court consent. According to here the adopted may be infants or older children
that may be adopted singly or as siblings groups and may be from local area or
form other states or countries. She further stated that adoptive parents may be
married couples, single men or women, or non traditional couples who may be
childless or have other children. Hence
adoption is an alternative strategy in the management of infertility aimed as
brining succor to the affected couples.