The idea may seem strange at first to most people, the ability of one adult to adopt another sometimes holds major financial, emotional and practical benefits.
The reasons for adoption of one adult by another are not usually a primary concern when it comes time for a court to grant approval. Many reasons exist, and Georgia law commonly allows this kind of adoption.
Goals of people seeking adult adoption
In addition to purely emotional reasons, perhaps the most common goal of adult adoption is to make estate planning simpler for an older stepparent.
Also consider that stepparent adoption of a minor stepchild can take a long time in some instances. If, when the process is complete, the stepchild is no longer technically a minor, the child’s adulthood doesn’t have to be an obstacle.
Sometimes, a foster parent and the child they fostered eventually decide that their emotional bonds and/or financial goals have made adoption appealing.
In other cases, a person who grew up as an adopted child then finds their birth family. For purely emotional or other reasons, they might want to become the legal child of their biological parents once again.
Intimate partner rights
Stepparents as well as those in any number of less familiar family relationships may need parental rights when they least expect it, and in a hurry.
Before same-sex marriage became legal in every state, it was more common for intimate partners to use adoption to ensure estate inheritance, the right to make medical decisions or hospital visits and other rights that were then often available only to heterosexual married couples.
The practice is still a possibility for couples of any gender who, for example, don’t wish to marry for philosophical reasons. Because recognition of adoption in one state is relatively consistent and secure in other states, it is a relationship that usually travels well and is quickly acknowledged in an emergency.
