Adoption of a child with Down syndrome from the point of view of the birth parents

The study looks at the lives and experiences of parents who give up their child with Down’s syndrome for adoption. The legal background to keeping a disabled child in the family, fostering in a birth family, and fostering in an adoptive family are considered. It also describes the resources and challenges of parenting along the lines of empowerment theory. The research account breaks free from the constraints of moral and medical models and focuses on person-centredness. The analysis is based on four narrative interviews, using categories developed based on the interview transcripts. The research report does not draw general conclusions but may help to understand the decision-making process of the parents involved. Based on the analysis, it seems justified to design further research programs to explore the world of siblings in families who give up a disabled child.