Arts and Humanities Commons^™

’Not For The Faint Of Heart’: Accessing The Status Quo On Adoption And Parental Licensing, Carolyn Mcleod, Andrew Botterell

Philosophy Publications

The process of adopting a child is “not for the faint of heart.” This is what we were told the first time we, as a couple, began this process. Part of the challenge lies in fulfilling the licensing requirements for adoption, which, beyond the usual home study, can include mandatory participation in parenting classes. The question naturally arises for many people who are subjected to these requirements whether they are morally justified. We tackle this question in this paper. In our view, while strong reasons exist in favour of licensing adoptive parents, these reasons support the licensing not only of …