Most family reunions look and sound very similar  relatives who haven't seen each other in a year exchange hugs and marvel at how big the kids have gotten. But Camp Abrazo is a different kind of reunion that includes children, adoptive and biological parents.

This years reunion is taking place at the Mayan Dude Ranch in Bandera [TX], and participants are coming from all over Texas as well as New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, Minnesota, Arkansas, Indiana and Mississippi. (Source: PR Inside)

Many families make the reunion an annual event, because it helps their children feel secure in the love felt by both the birth and adoptive parents.

Labels: adoptive parents, adopted children, birth_parents, texas

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Adoption disclosure legislation that went into effect June 1 in Ontario, Canada, give thousands of adoptees the chance to learn about their biological family history. Under the new law, adoptees can apply for copies of adoption orders and birth registrations.

According to the Ministry of Community and Social Services, the result is adoptees will be more easily able to find out what their original names were, as well as who their birth parents were. It could also help birth parents learn the name their child was given after he or she was adopted. (Source: CBC News)

The new law will also give adoptees access to medical information that had been previously out of reach. Both adoptees and birth parents have the option of filing a disclosure veto if they want their information to remain sealed.

Many adoption advocates believe that learning more about their personal history can help adopted children deal with many adoption-related stresses and developmental issues.

Labels: adoption rights, adopted children, birth_parents

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With families across the nation experiencing recession-related financial pressures, adoption agencies have noticed an increase in the number of women who are choosing to place their babies for adoption. According to a May 19 article by USA Today writer Wendy Koch, the increase in women who are opting for adoption includes those who already have children:

Many of these women are in their 20s and already have at least one child, says Joan Jaeger of The Cradle, [an adoption agency in the Chicago area] ... She says 30 percent more women are inquiring about placing a child for adoption than a year ago.

"The economy has made them take a second look at adoption," says Scott Mars of American Adoptions, a private agency in Overland Park, Kan. In the past year, he's seen a 10 percent to 12 percent increase in women inquiring about placing a child for adoption and a 7 percent to 10 percent increase in actual placements, as strong demand for healthy infants continues to outstrip the supply. ...

"Our phones are ringing off the hook," says Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers. She says calls to her group's hotline have nearly tripled in the past year, many from women whose families have lost jobs.

The majority of women who place their children for adoption in the United States stay in touch with the child's new family, Koch reported. "In up to 90% of domestic infant adoptions," she wrote, "... adoptive parents maintain some contact with birth parents."

Labels: economy, birth-mothers, birth_parents, pressures

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Katie was adopted by Eileen and Dave Kibble when she was 3 days old. Twenty-three years later, she was unexpectedly contacted by her biological mother who told her she has a brother and a sister.

"Eileen Kibble arranged a surprise visit for Katie and Marci in Arizona last July on Katie's 'special day' - the date of her adoption... Katie said when she first encountered Marci in the lobby of the motel in Phoenix 'it was like a fairytale movie.'"

This year, Marci is going to visit Katie and her adoptive family in St. Charles during the Downtown Partnership's Sisters Weekend. From April 11-13, the Downtown Partnership has planned numerous activities including wine tastings, shopping, and a live concert. Read more at DailyHerald.com.

Labels: biological_parents, birth_parents, siblings

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Guatemalan birth mothers who used false identities when placing their babies for adoption will have to face charges, says prosecutor Jaime Tecu. His comments reference an official probe into the Casa Quivira adoption agency that is alleged to have provided birth mothers with false identities so they wouldn't have to get permission from other family members to place their babies for adoption.

"In two of the five alleged false identity cases, the birth mothers assumed the identities of babies who were stillborn two decades ago. Two other mothers stole the identities of living women whom prosecutors later located."

Hanging in the balance are the futures of the women's children, all of whom had been in the process of being adopted. In Guatemala, only single mothers can unilaterally place their babies for adoption. In cases where the biological parents are married, both must agree to the decision, as must the couple's immediate family. Read more at SunTimes.com.

Labels: birth_parents, fraud, unwanted_pregancy

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Legislators in Connecticut have been presented with a bill that would change disclosure laws related to adoption. The bill would give adult adoptees the option of obtaining their original birth certificate.

"It also would allow birth parents to designate whether they eventually want to be contacted by the child, an intermediary or not at all."

A similar bill was vetoed two years ago by the state's governor, who feared the bill could potentially violate privacy rights of birth parents. Read more at WWLP.com.

Labels: legislation, birth_parents, adoption_rights

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Denise still remembers the first phone conversation she had with the birth mother of her adopted daughter. She remembers how nervous she was, and she remembers the warnings people gave about adopting a mixed-race baby.

"Again, we didn't care. We had so much love in us that we wanted to share. We made a promise that we would not go the medical route for future children, and instead committed to adopting mixed children so they would share their ethnicity."

Denise and her husband now have three adopted children, and each is considered a blessing. Some say their kids are lucky to have them as parents, but Denise admits that she feels like the lucky one. Read more at DailyRecord.com.

Labels: adoptive_parents, birth_parents, interracial

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North Carolina recently passed a state law that allows adults who were adopted as children to get more detailed information about their biological parents and possibly connect with them - if all parties are willing. Though the new law set out general guidelines, responsibility for developing the details falls to each individual county.

"Before the new laws, [Frances] Gallimore [adoptions supervisor for Rowan County] said, an average of two to three adoptees called the department monthly seeing information about their birth parents. Most of them have been people in their 40s and 50s who were facing health challenges and wanted information about their family health history."

Prior to the new law, Social Services departments could only give very general, non-identifying information. The suggested cost for the service has been set at $250, which includes 5 ½ hours of search time, contact with the person (if found) and a report-back to the inquiring party of any information that is discovered. Read more at SalisburyPost.com.

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Labels: laws, birth_parents, records

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On Monday, an 8-month-old baby that has been at the center of an unusual adoption case was placed back in the custody of the couple who wants to adopt him. Baby Max's adoption was temporarily halted due to legal complications on the part of the adoptive parents, Gary and Cindy Stocklaufer.

"They lost custody in July for failing to obtain a court order before bringing the boy to Missouri and because an investigation had not been completed."

Initially, Gary Stocklaufer claimed he and his wife lost custody because he was obese; he weighed over 500 pounds at the time. He has since undergone surgery and lost about 200 pounds. The Stocklaufers' attorney called the decision "bittersweet" because an equally loving and qualified couple would have to relinquish custody of Max to the Stocklaufers.

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Labels: biological_parents, birth_parents, complications

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Brigham City, Utah attorney Dale Dorius has five children. Four of them are adopted. He believes so strongly in helping connect and create families that he's dedicated over 40 years to adoptions and birth-mother placements. He was recently honored by the United States Congressional Coalition on Adoption, with an Angel of Adoption award.

"Dorius' efforts have made a difference in families all over the world. Many birth mothers come to Utah because it is an adoption-friendly state. He handles many interstate and international adoptions. In addition, he's worked with the court system to handle foster care adoptions and placements."

One of Dorius' adopted children - Jennifer Reyes, is also an attorney who specializes in adoptions. Having seen the difference her father makes, she's now working to have the same positive influence in the lives of would-be families.

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Labels: awards, birth_parents, court

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Every person born in the U.S. has a birth certificate that names the place, time, and date of birth along with the names of the birth parents. But if a child is adopted, the original birth certificate is changed and the adoptive parents are listed as the birth parents - something this adoptive mom from Iowa struggles to accept.

"Adoption isn't necessarily a beginning or ending for any child. It's part of that child's journey through life. Adopted children have a biological family that will always and inevitably be part of them - whether they know anything about them or not. Family roots run deep, and when adopted children grow up, they should be allowed to get in touch with these roots if they choose."

A child's birth family is not erased or replaced when the child is adopted. And, according to the report referenced in this opinion letter, changes in a child's birth information - and lack of access to the original information - raises "significant civil rights concerns and potentially serious, negative consequences for their physical and mental health."

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Labels: adoption rights, adoptive_parents, birth_parents

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Adopted children should be able to see their birth records and find their birth parents, according to a report from the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, a national not-for-profit organization devoted to improving adoption policy and practice.

The report notes that evidence from the eight states with open adoption laws indicates that the arguments against open adoption records are fallacious. In those states, there has not been an increase or decrease in abortion rates or any evidence that birthparents become distressed when contacted.

"These states' experiences in providing this information make clear there are minimal, if any, negative repercussions," said Adam Pertman, director of the Institute. "The mythology ... is that you should be protecting someone from something. But that's not the reality. Adoptees are not behaving poorly, they're behaving very respectfully, and birth parents do not appear to be a frightened class that wants to hide."

The American Civil Liberties Union and some right-to-life groups have opposed open adoption laws, which are already in place in Maine, Delaware, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, Kansas and Alaska.

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Labels: laws, open_adoption, birth_parents

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Until recently, a child who was adopted internationally had little or no opportunity to locate his or her birth mother. Today, that opportunity exists thanks to the emergence of "searchers" who help locate international birth mothers.

"Deciding whether or not to initiate the search is not easy. While there are a multitude of heartwarming stories, there are also others, where alcoholism was rampant in the family or where the birth mother abused the child."

There's also a possibility that a birth mother will ask for financial support or ask the adoptive parents to adopt another child. There are risks involved in initiating a search for a child's birth mother, and they should be carefully considered. There is also, however, the potential for a heartwarming reunion.

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Labels: international, birth_parents, services

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Currently, only seven states allow adoptees to see their original birth certificates. The North Carolina legislature has recently passed a new law that, though it doesn't grant access to birth certificates, will make it easier for adoptees to find information about their birth parents by allowing child-placement agencies to serve as intermediaries between willing adult adoptees and birth parents.

"The law replaces rules governing adoption records that rank among the nation's most restrictive. Current law requires adoptees to petition a judge and show 'just cause' to access birth records and other adoption information. It also forbids adoption agencies from releasing anything except 'non-identifying' information to adoptees or birth parents."

The new law is considered a compromise between groups who wanted adoptees to have full access to birth records and organizations like the National Council for Adoption which opposes full access without consent from both parties. Read more at Charlotte.com.

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Labels: laws, adoptees, birth_parents

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Some North Carolina legislators and others are proposing new laws that would allow adoptees to access their original birth certificates when they reach adulthood. The propositions are receiving mixed reviews, with some people being concerned that the birth mothers rights would be violated should such a law take effect.

"[Roberta] MacDonald said one of the main reasons for the law would be to allow adoptees to have a family medical history. She said the law would not lead to a mass of adoptees bothering birth parents, citing other states with more lenient adoption laws."

The law would include an option for birth parents to fill out forms stating whether or not they ever wish to be contacted by the child, and would allow the birth parent to submit updated medical information as well.

Read more at NewBernSJ.com.

Labels: laws, birth_certificates, birth_parents

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International adoptions have increased dramatically in popularity over the last several years. Many people, however, still prefer domestic adoptions. Not only are they far less expensive, but they often take less time. There are some things to consider with regards to domestic adoptions.

"Know the laws in your state, and the state the agency is in (if it is an out-of-state agency). Every state has different laws regarding when a birthmother can relinquish her rights and at what point they become irreversible. Some states have a waiting period in between when a mother can sign relinquishments and when they are effective, and during that waiting period, the mother is fully able to change her mind."

You should also know the laws regarding the birth father's rights, whether open adoption is allowed or required, and what fees are associated with the adoption. Read more online.

Labels: adoption_laws, birth_parents, adoption_rights

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