By Steven Pradell Children are adopted for many reasons.
Stepparents often adopt children to form a close family bond with a new spouse.
Parents who can not bear their own children adopt to start a family that they would otherwise be unable to enjoy. A person who desires to adopt must understand that the effect of the adoption will be that the adoptive parent will have all of the rights and responsibilities of a parent, as if the child were the biological child of the parent. That is, the new parent will enjoy the custody of the child, but at the same time the parent will be responsible for taking care of the child's needs and providing for support until the child becomes an adult. To adopt a child in Alaska, a Petition for Adoption must be filed in the Superior Court. The petition must set forth certain facts about the person who desires to adopt, and about the child to be adopted.