Col. John Marselus, the 607th Air and Space Operations Center commander, and his wife, Kim, traveled to Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, in January where they picked up their newest son Caleb, a 5-year-old orphan whom they had just adopted.

"The adoption process took about two years, but in reality this journey started well over two decades ago," Colonel Marselus said. Their trip to Ethiopia opened yet another opportunity; the opportunity to meet face-to-face with one of the many children they had sponsored worldwide for almost three decades. ...

After 25 years of sponsorship of multiple children, the Marselus family decided it was time to have an even greater impact on a needy child. It was at that point they decided to pursue the option of adoption.

"Sponsoring needy children ... is great, but we were convicted to see if there was a child who needed a family," Colonel Marselus said. "We strongly felt that the right thing to do was provide an orphaned little boy or girl the love and nurturing they so desperately deserve."

Labels: international

In a unique case mixing adoption and a kind of surrogacy, a Fort Worth couple agreed to give their newborn son to their siblings, a couple unable to have children themselves. ...

That's right: Christopher Ryan Smith, who was born Tuesday at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth, will be staying in the family even as he is adopted by new parents.

His biological mother is his adoptive father's sister. His biological father is his adoptive mother's brother. ...

The adopting couple had tried for years. “We just kind of gave up hope,” said Amy Smith. “This is all we’ve wanted is to have a baby of our own.”

“He’s definitely a gift, and we’re going to cherish him,” said Amy’s husband, Ryan.

Labels: biological_children, biological_parents

Are there any new adoptions being started for children who were already orphaned or children newly orphaned in Haiti?

Reputable adoption agencies would tell you that neither the State Department nor Haiti’s government are considering new adoption applications at this time. Their primary concern is the safety of children who may have been separated from surviving relatives and need time to be reunited with extended family.

Labels: haiti, international

"Despite a 5–4 vote by the Public Affairs panel, the measure must still pass the Judiciary Committee and a recommendation was made that it be heard by yet another committee," the Alamogordo (NM) Daily News reported. "The Senate gallery was packed and dozens of people on both sides of the issue jockeyed for seats on the floor to present their arguments to the committee members."

Labels: domestic partners, unmarried couples

We are a community of scholars, activists, professors, artists, lawyers, social workers and health care workers who speak with the knowledge that North Americans and Europeans are lining up to adopt the "orphaned children" of the Haitian earthquake, and who feel compelled to voice our opinion about what it means to be "saved" or "rescued" through adoption."

We understand that in a time of crisis there is a tendency to want to act quickly to support those considered the most vulnerable and directly affected, including children. However, we urge caution in determining how best to help. ...

For more than fifty years "orphaned children" have been shipped from areas of war, natural disasters, and poverty to supposedly better lives in Europe and North America. ... Like us, these "disaster orphans" will grow into adulthood and begin to grasp the magnitude of the abuse, fraud, negligence, suffering, and deprivation of human rights involved in their displacements. ...

As adoptees of color we bear a unique understanding of the trauma, and the sense of loss and abandonment that are part of the adoptee experience, and we demand that our voices be heard. All adoptions from Haiti must be stopped and all efforts to help children be refocused on giving aid to organizations working toward family reunification and caring for children in their own communities.

Labels: haiti, international

"Haiti's prime minister, Jean-Max Bellerive, told the Miami Herald his government has considerable fears that children may be scooped up in the streets of Port-au-Prince by nongovernmental organizations. The government also has concerns that children may be trafficked into prostitution or slavery." [Source: The Palm Beach Post]

Labels: haiti, international

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was considered one of the most challenging countries for adoption because of red tape and an unstable and corrupt government. ...

Adoption agency officials say people who are now flooding local agencies with calls may not have any idea what obstacles they'll encounter.

“No one right now is accepting applications for adoptions because of the collapse of the (Haitian) government," said Hollen Frazier of All God's Children International.

She said she believes it will be a year before Haiti will begin to allow adoptions again and then the wait may be up to three years.

"I would just encourage people to keep the orphan in their foresight with the understanding we have orphans throughout the entire world," she said.

Labels: haiti, international