Adoption Issues

Bulgaria Closing All Orphanages

2010-03-01T01:17:00.000-08:00

In radical attempt to fix its child-care system, the Bulgarian government has announced plans to shut down all of its orphanages and homes for disabled children.

Citing past failed attempts to create real change in the current system, the government has set a 15-year deadline for scrapping the old and starting anew.

"According to a new strategy paper approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, the country's 137 communist-era welfare homes for orphans and disabled children will be closed down," the Independent News & Media has reported. "The more than 7 500 children living in such homes will be placed in foster families or adopted to help better integrate them into society."

The government says lack of funding, and lack of "political will" has kept all but the most cosmetic changes from being made at orphanages and group homes. The new plan would give top priority to placing the more than 1,300 disabled children who are currently wards of the state.

Catholic Charities Ends Foster, Adoption Services in D.C.

2010-02-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

In response to laws forbidding discrimination against same-sex couples who wish to serve as foster parents and adopt children in Washington, D.C., Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington has ended the foster care and adoption program it has operated in the nation’s capital for more than eight decades.

Laura Wright of the Catholic News Services reported on the archdiocese’s decision in a Feb. 22 article:

The program – which covered 43 children and their biological families, 35 foster families and seven staff members – was transferred to the National Center for Children and Families Feb. 1.

Under a new law allowing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia, Catholic Charities would have been required to place children with same-sex parents for foster care and adoption, which would violate church teaching that marriage is a permanent union between one man and one woman.

“Catholic Charities has been providing foster care in one form or another for decades. ... To transition this to another agency certainly was a real loss for us,” said Edward Orzechowski, president and CEO of Catholic Charities.

Study: Infants' Race, Gender Affect Adoption Odds

2010-02-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

A study conducted by four economists with the Centre for Economic Policy and Research has revealed that Caucasian, Hispanic and female babies are more likely to be adopted than are African-American or male infants.

A Jan. 25 article by Catherine Rampell of the New York Times provided the following details about the study, which involved the analysis of five years of data on more than 800 adoptable children:

The authors found that girls are consistently preferred to boys. For non-African-American babies, for example, the probability that a prospective adoptive parent expresses interest in such a baby is 11.5 percent if the baby is a girl and 7.9 percent if the baby is a boy.

Interestingly, in many cultures the preference for biological children runs in the opposite direction, with parents strongly preferring boys instead of girls. The authors suggest that this preference for girls in cases of adoptive children may be because adoptive parents "fear dysfunctional social behavior in adopted children and perceive girls as 'less risky' than boys in that respect."

Additionally, Caucasians and Hispanics are consistently preferred to African-Americans. The probability that a non-African-American baby will attract the interest of an adoptive parent is at least seven times as high as the corresponding probability for an African-American baby.

Arizona Legislature Mulls Adoption Priority for Married Couples

2010-02-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

The Arizona state legislature is considering a bill that would give married couples priority in adoptions.
A Feb. 23 article by Alia Beard Rau of the Arizona Republic provided the following details on the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Warde Nichols, a Republican who represents the town of Gilbert:

Unmarried adults could still be considered for adoption when they are related to or already have a relationship with the child, or if there is not a married couple available. The best interests of the child would remain the determining factor in choosing adoptive parents.

"We're not going to be leaving children in the system because we're waiting for a married couple. That's not the intent of the bill," said Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy. The non-profit group lobbies for conservative family issues, and it is backing the bill. "It simply says, all things being equal, a child deserves a chance to have a mom and a dad."

From April through September 2009, there were 892 state adoptions, 266 of which involved single people. ...

Kris Jacober, the president of Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents, told the Republic that passing the bill would establish "one more barrier to people trying to decide whether or not to even get started. And when you limit the pool, you limit the options for children."

Texas Police Investigate Adoption Scam

2010-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

A 28-year-old woman is at the center of an adoption scam, and Texas police want to make sure no one else is hurt by her actions.

According to Texas's Times Record News, Amanda May Gunn has been charged with theft for taking money from two couples who expressed interest in adopting her unborn baby:

"Promising her baby to each one of them, she was able to gain financial benefits from them," [Detective Tony] Ramirez said. After a couple learned from a third party that the adoption was not going to happen and this baby would not be going to them although they had been paying for support, they contacted police, Ramirez said.

The couple had paid more than $20,000 in fees, including $5,000 that went directly to Gunn. Texas police are asking anyone who thinks they may have also been victim of Gunn to contact them at 940-761-7762.

Source: Times Record News (TX)

Angelina Jolie Discourages Haiti Adoptions

2010-02-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti last month, adoption agencies have been flooded with calls from people wanting to adopt orphaned kids. Angelina Jolie, normally a vocal advocate for adoption, is asking people to wait.

"An emergency is not the time for new adoptions in any way," Jolie said in a Feb. 14 interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN. "Child trafficking has been a huge problem for a very long time. Everybody that means well needs to really take that very seriously."

Jolie and husband Brad Pitt were rumored to be considering adoption of a Haitian child prior to the earthquake. Both denied the rumor, and Jolie is now urging people interested in adopting Haitian children to exercise caution and patience.

Indiana Legislator Says Bill Will Strengthening State's Adoption Laws

2010-02-15T04:35:00.000-08:00

A bill that State Sen. Joe Zakas introduced into the Indiana General Assembly is designed to strengthen the state's existing adoption laws, the senator said.

According to a Feb. 9 article by Kevin Allen of the South Bend Tribune, the bill passed the Senate by a 49-1 vote:

The Granger Republican's bill would bar people from adopting if they have been convicted of certain "attempted" felonies and clarify the state's rules for when and where a man can file a paternity action to contest an adoption. ...

"The whole aim is to provide certainty in the adoption process, which ultimately is in the best interest of the child involved," he said.

Indiana already prohibits people convicted of serious violent felonies from adopting children. SB 140 would also bar people convicted of attempting those felonies.

State law also allows a man to challenge an adoption if he is the child's father. SB 140 would provide a clearer, narrower path for men to file those paternity actions.

Expert Offers 'Golden Rules' of Parenting an Adopted Teen

2010-02-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

In a Feb. 1 post on the Psychology Today blog, Ugo Uche -- a counselor with expertise in adolescent issues -- described two "golden rules" that can help parents provide a healthier and more supportive environment for their adopted teens:

While most teenagers go through a period of crisis, highlighted by identity formation; for adopted teenagers, the process presents with significantly higher complications. …

There are two golden rules to parenting a child, biological or adopted, and I have noticed that parents who are more consistent with adhering to these rules, on average have children with a healthier sense of identities.

These two rules are unconditional acceptance of self and unconditional acceptance of your child.

Farrow Criticizes Illicit Adoptions of Haitian Youth

2010-02-10T04:43:00.000-08:00

Mia Farrow, who serves a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, has spoken out against illegal adoptions that have occurred in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

A Feb. 4 Associated Press highlighted Farrow's criticisms:

The U.S. actress says groups or individuals who want to help Haiti's children should rather support orphanages or their families inside the country.

Farrow, who herself has adopted 11 children, says offering parents a better life for their children elsewhere is "completely unacceptable and immoral."

Adoption practices in Haiti are in the spotlight since a group of American missionaries was caught trying to smuggle Haitian children out of the country in the wake of the Jan. 12 quake.

After Years of Sponsoring Children, Air Force Family Opts to Adopt

2010-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

With the U.S. Air Force's "Year of the Air Force Family" barely more than a month old, one USAF family has taken the opportunity to expand through adoption. Chief Master Sgt. Sean Stevenson of Air Force News reported the story in a Feb. 8 article:

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."

Couples Keep Adoption in the Family

2010-02-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Surrogacy and adoption have long been common avenues for growing a family. But two couples from Texas have given this approach a unique spin by keeping the process within one biological family.

Scott Gordon reported on this unique adoption story in a Feb. 5 article on NBCChicago.com:

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.

MSNBC Answers Questions about Haitian Adoptions

2010-02-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

The devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti has prompted many good-hearted people to inquire about adopting children who were orphaned in the disaster. It also left many adoptions in limbo, as the Haitian government tried to sort itself out.

On Feb. 1, MSNBC ran a special feature aimed at addressing some of the more common concerns, such as the following question:

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.

Only adoptions that were already in process will be completed. Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Haitian government has publicly speculated about when new adoptions can be initiated.

New Mexico House Committee Passes Bill to Unmarried Couples to Adopt

2010-02-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

A New Mexico legislative committee has passed a measure that would give unmarried couples the right to adopt. The Public Affairs panel passed the measure with a 5 – 4 vote.

"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."

Most lawmakers agree that the bill has a good chance of passing the House, but will have trouble in the Senate. No date is set for the next round of voting.

Adoptees of Color Roundtable Calls for Stoppage of Adoptions from Haiti

2010-01-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

An international organization known as the Adoptees of Color Roundtable has issued a statement calling for a stoppage on adoptions from Haiti and a refocused effort on connecting children with their families and providing all necessary aid to help Haitians rebuild after the recent earthquake that devastated their nation.

The following are excerpts from this statement:

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.

Transport of Haitian Orphans Slows Significantly

2010-01-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

The Haitian government has dramatically slowed its transportation of Haitian orphans to the U.S., amid fears that undocumented children may be victims of human trafficking.

"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]

Lawyers and adoption agencies have been working around the clock to finalize paperwork on as many children as possible, the Post reported. Most agencies are also re-processing paperwork for potential adoptive parents, including a background check, to ensure they are legitimate.

Experts Predict Long Wait for Haiti Adoptions

2010-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

As images of a devastated Haiti flood into the U.S., telephone calls are flooding into adoption agencies. But homes and families weren't the only things ruined by the earthquake, as KATU.com writers Susan Harding and Meghan Kalkstein reported in a Jan. 26 article:

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.

Recession Blamed for Drop in UK Adoptions

2010-01-22T04:22:00.000-08:00

The global economic downturn has affected families in myriad ways -- including, according to a Jan. 8 article on thevisitor.co.uk, making it more difficult for parents to adopt:

According to Adoption Matter Northwest, potential adopters, including some who have already signed up for preparation groups, are having second thoughts, with some withdrawing their interest altogether.

The agency reports that 10 percent of those enquiring about becoming adoptive parents over the last six months subsequently pulled out. ...

Agency chief executive Norman Goodwin said: "We completely understand people's concerns and reasons but it's still bad news for the 4,000 children across the UK who are waiting for the opportunity of a fresh start with a new family."

Chicago Agency Promotes Adoption of HIV+ Children

2010-01-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Margaret Fleming is a 73-year-old single mother of 12 children and a passionate adoption advocate. She is also the driving force behind an effort to ensure that HIV-positive children find loving homes.

A Jan. 6 Chicago Tribune article by Jennifer Grant provided the following insights into Fleming's work on behalf of HIV-positive children throughout the world:

Fleming is the founder of Adoption-Link Inc., an agency in Oak Park [Illinois] through which she has placed hundreds of children since 1992. During a 2002 visit to Vietnam to meet her now-9-year-old daughter, her eyes were opened to the crisis of children and HIV.

She returned to the U.S. and established Chances by Choice, a program that helps place children born with HIV.

To date, close to 60 such children have found adoptive families.

According to a UNICEF report, about 370,000 children younger than 15 around the world became infected with HIV in 2007. Most infections occur during birth or through breast-feeding. Many of these children are orphaned when their parents die of AIDS.

Haitian Orphans Airlifted to U.S. After Policies Changed to Expedite Adoptions

2010-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Dozens of Haitian children have arrived in Pittsburgh, on the heels of U.S. policy changes for visa requirements aimed at expediting adoption of Haitian orphanages. The new policy will affect about 900 children, all of whom had already been identified as orphans. But aid groups estimate that tens of thousands of children could have been orphaned in the recent earthquake.

"It normally takes three years to adopt a child from Haiti, because of a lengthy process required under Haitian law," the New York Times reported Jan. 20. "The Haitian government has had reason to be cautious; there are about 200 orphanages in Haiti, but United Nations officials say not all are legitimate. Some are fronts for traffickers who buy children from their parents and sell them to couples in other countries."

The change in U.S. policy will speed up the process for Haitian children whose adoptions have already begun but have yet to be finalized. A spokesman for U.S. Homeland Security told the Times that the department is walking a fine line -- trying to assist children who are truly orphans without separating children from relatives who are still alive.

Haiti Quake Puts Adoption Dreams in Limbo

2010-01-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

Jill Lear and Kim Lewen both have rooms ready and waiting for children who may not occupy them for months. Both women have been in the process of adopting children from Haiti, which was devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake Jan. 12.

"Though both know their children are safe ... what they don't know is when they'll be able to proceed with their dream of bringing the children to the United States. They fear for their children's safety in the days to come, and that their months-long effort to adopt the children could be stalled by the chaos." (Source: The Associated Press)

Dozens of families have been left in limbo, worried not only about the safety of their adopted children, but also about the paperwork which often takes months to sort out and may now be buried underneath the rubble. On Jan. 14, adoption advocates gathered on Capitol Hill to determine the best way forward.

New Mexico Couple Honored for Efforts on Behalf of Adopted Daughter

2010-01-13T18:36:00.001-08:00

From the moment Layla was born, doctors knew she wouldn't live long. Her brain was so underdeveloped that it was little more than a stem. She couldn’t see, feed herself or eat, and she passed away when she was just 11 months old.

Days before her death, Layla was adopted by Joe and Melba Cotton, a New Mexico couple whose actions have earned them the Abigail Thomlinson award.

An article on the website of the Hobbs News-Sun provided the following details about the Cottons and the award they recently received:

The award is given to someone in the community each year that demonstrates the courage, willingness to mentor and strength Abigail exhibited during her short life.
Tom Thomlinson's voice broke as he described his daughter during Monday's ceremony. He said the Cottons embody the spirit of the award and that is why he chose them as this year's recipients.

"The award is given to people whose sole purpose is to help people," he said. "For all the children they have helped, this year's recipients stand for what I hope the awards stands for."

The Cottons have spent decades helping children. They have lost count of the number of children they have fostered in the past 25 years and as Joe said in his comments during the ceremony, the couple's journey began long ago when they lost their infant daughter.

Alabama Encourages Residents to Consider Adoption

2010-01-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Alabama celebrated a milestone in 2009, finalizing 676 adoptions, more than it has ever had before. To help make 2010 another record year, the state is calling upon residents to consider expanding their families through adoption:

"Department of Human Resources Commissioner Nancy Buckner said that creates not only a need for more families willing to adopt, but more families willing to provide foster care for children.

There are 650 children in foster care who are waiting for their adoptions to be finalized, and there are more than 250 children waiting for someone to step forward and say that they will adopt a child." [Source: Montgomery Advertiser]

Wisconsin Woman Pleads Guilty in Illegal Adoption Case

2010-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

A Wisconsin woman has pled guilty to six felonies and two misdemeanors in an illegal adoption case. Bobbi Jo Dolski entered guilty pleas for felonious second-degree reckless endangerment, bail jumping, unauthorized placement for adoption, burglary-party to the crime, and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

"Dolski and her husband, Jason Dolski, were arrested in June after police said the couple illegally obtained an acquaintance’s child. Police found the child at the couple’s Stevens Point [WI] home in May during an investigation into illegal drug activity there.” [Source: Wausau (MI) Daily Herald]

The couple agreed to illegally adopt Amanda Zblewski’s newborn, whom Zblewski had already planned to place for adoption, the Daily Herald reported. Instead, she had Jason Dolski sign the birth certificate as the baby’s father, a move Zblewski told police she thought was legal.

Immigration Nightmare Rooted in Adoption Missteps

2010-01-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Robin Whiteley spent another holiday season away from his family this year.

When Whiteley was just a day old, a midwife gave him to Lora and Royce Whiteley who formally adopted him six years later. Today, Robin is 35-years-old, has a family of his own, and neither the United States, nor Mexico, has a record of his birth.

The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram provided the following information about Whiteley's ordeal:

Lacking a birth certificate and naturalization papers, Whiteley, who doesn’t speak Spanish, was deported to Mexico on the assumption that it was his country of origin. …

The laws on migration and foreign adoptions are complicated, said Heidi Cox, executive vice president and general counsel for the Gladney Center in Forth Worth... "Your Texas adoption will establish that you are the parent, but not that the child is a citizen,’ she said."

Because Whiteley doesn’t have proper documentation in Mexico either, he can’t work. His wife and children have moved to the Rio Grande Valley to be closer to him. the Star-Telegram reported.

Arizona Mom Refuses to Help Police in Adoption Investigation

2010-01-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

A 23-year-old Arizona woman is refusing to tell police what she did with her soon-to-be-adopted son. The woman had been in conversations with a couple who wanted to adopt the 8-month-old child, but fled the state after she changed her mind.

"Jack Smith [the adoptive father] admitted he thought the entire adoption process with Johnson [the biological mother] ‘felt strange,’ but that they all lived nearby and they had bonded with the baby after keeping him for a couple of weeks in December." [Source: ABC News]

Johnson has since told police that she gave her baby to a married couple in San Antonio, Texas, after the child’s biological father refused to go along with her original adoption plans, ABC has reported. Police are uncertain how much of Johnson’s story is true, and she is not forthcoming with additional details.