The Romanian Office for Adoptions has submitted legislation to Parliament that would lift certain restrictions currently placed on inter-country adoptions. The law currently prohibits certain relatives from adopting children who have lost their parents.

"Currently, a child may be adopted by up to the third closest relative. We want to allow fourth closest relatives as well as Romanian citizens married to foreign citizens to adopt Romanian children," [Secretary of State Bogdan] Panait said. [Source: Nine OClock Daily (Romania)]

A petition that had been filed, claiming the proposed legislation violated the Hague Convention, was closed Tuesday by the European Parliament, allowing it to move closer towards becoming law.

Labels: international, adoption laws

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Members of the Florida House and Senate are working on legislation to prevent adoption agencies from asking prospective parents whether they own any guns. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee, who was asked about gun ownership when he and his wife were filling out adoption paperwork.

Horner said the couple were offended when asked about what weapons they had at home. &

Horner said that the Children's Home Society, which contracts with the Florida Department of Children and Families to provide adoption services, was the only licensed adoption agency that included a form asking prospective parents to provide details on their weapons, where they're kept and what kind of ammunition is in their house. [Source: The News Service of Florida]

The legislation is backed by the National Rifle Association, and is expected to receive final votes in both chambers March 18.

Labels: adoption laws, florida

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

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."

Labels: adoption laws, same-sex couples, single_parenting

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

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.

Labels: adoption laws

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments