Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent (or parents) other than the birth parents. Adoption results in the severing of the parental responsibilities and rights of the biological parents and the placing of those responsibilities and rights onto the adoptive parents. After the finalization of an adoption, there is generally no legal difference between biological and adopted children in most jurisdictions. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption Amy Sample Ward