Amanda Knox Wants to Adopt. Could She?
Amanda Knox has allegedly told an Italian lawmaker that she hopes to adopt after she's been released from jail. The University of Washington student convicted of murdering her British roommate is only 23, and lots of 23-year-olds don't end up doing what they say they're going to do. But taking Knox at her word, I wondered: How hard would it be for her to adopt a kid?
The answer is complicated. For one, there's no way of knowing how Knox will re-enter the world of the free. She might be exonerated. Or she might serve out the entirety of her 26-year sentence.
There are also possible gaps in between those two extremes. Meaning this is a mother (ha!) of a hypothetical, a point that was reiterated to me a number of times by John Morris, executive director of Amara Parenting & Adoption Services in Madrona.
"So much of the story is conditional, contingent on a lot more information," he said. "But it is an unusual aspiration for someone in confinement."
Morris stressed that without knowing any details it'd be hard for him to speculate. As he pointed out, Knox could, after all, adopt outside of a licensed agency with just about any young parent willing to give up their child. But because speculation is the name of the game when it comes to Knox, we pressed the issue and got him to at least provide us with some scenarios.
If she isn't exonerated and tries to adopt in the United States: "At this point, she's a convicted felon and that would probably stop her in many jurisdictions. To work with an agency in most states you'll need a criminal clearance. It isn't that all crimes preclude you, but clearly there are some obvious ones -- like murder -- that would prevent you from a licensed adoption."
If she isn't exonerated and tries to adopt elsewhere: "Again, if it's a private adoption, my sense would be that she has a specific scenario in her head, as most people do, and it might be the celebrity approach like, 'I'm going to go to Africa and adopt orphans.' I couldn't even begin to touch on that one."
And if she wants to adopt but doesn't want to get into the competitive business of getting a newborn whose had good pre-natal care: "In the state of Washington there are over 2,000 children who are considered legally free (foster children who are wards of the state). Each and every one of them could use a good home."
Could Knox be one to provide that "good home"? The ultimate journalistic cop-out is to say "we'll see" and leave it at that. But...what else do you want me to say?
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