Adoption advocacy

A (Transracial Intercountry) Adoptee Speaks out for Intercountry Adoption

Submitted by LisaS on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 21:03

Surfing on the internet today I came across a pro-intercountry adoption article written by an adoptee from Colombia who along with her brother and sister was adopted by a Caucasian family in New Jersey. Here is what she says about intercountry adoption:

But if we lacked a clear blueprint for our ethnic identities, we still had plenty of other parameters from which to forge our sense of selves: we were blue-collar kids from Jersey. We grew up amongst the mostly Irish- and Italian-American children of nurses, plumbers, and store clerks. Like them, we indulged in all the rituals of our particular American upbringing. And like most internationally adopted children, we turned out just fine.

Dr. Jane Aronson Speaks Out on Children in Orphanages and the Children of Haiti : UNICEF Listen Up!

Submitted by LisaS on Tue, 02/02/2010 - 22:47

As I’ve shared in a previous blog,  Dr. Jane Aronson ((founder of Worldwide Orphans) was my daughter’s “adoption doc” and I have a special place in my heart for her. She has a huge heart and has spent countless hours observing and helping orphaned children. Her description of life in an orphanage is an important reminder to the world that there is NO REPLACEMENT FOR A LOVING FAMILY.

Dr. Jane in Haiti - Journal Day #5 - At home

Day # 5 - Back Home Home from Haiti, but not done thinking and processing. I flew into Newark airport from O'Hare at 9 am today and my partner, Diana, and my sons, Ben and Des greeted me at the airport....a very nice surprise to see my kids who should have been in Hebrew School at that hour. They were jumping on me and I kissed their heads....I missed them so much. A joy for me to see healthy and happy children who started out in this life not so fortunate. They both were in orphanages and both suffered from institutionalized care, but were resilient and overcame the adversity. This is not the case for a lot of kids raised in orphanages around the world.

I have spent the last 20 years of my career as a pediatrician caring for orphans who arrive in the US adopted by American families, underweight and failing to thrive, infectious diseases and with developmental delays especially language delays. Some children have sensory issues that make it painful to be touched and loved which is what they need the most. And other children have attachment issues which can take years to resolve and may require herculean efforts by family and therapists.

And I'd Like to Say This About Haitian Orphans and Haitian Adoption...

Submitted by SandraHanksBenoiton on Tue, 01/19/2010 - 23:49

                               

Okay. Before I go any farther, I will freely admit that I am in a foul mood. I could very happily rip someone's head off about now, stick it on a pike, then beat the crap out of it with a hair brush ... almost anyone would do ... so perhaps, just perhaps, I am not reacting quite the way I should to today's news.

Whatevahh ...

It's this story that has me spitting spikes for this post.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the move would allow children eligible for adoption in the US "to receive the care they need."

Other nations said they were speeding up the process to allow Haitian children to join adoptive families.

First bit of vitriol that rises is directly attached to this, from Sacramento, my old town ... a story about family waiting to bring their child home from Haiti closing in on the end run of what had to have been a very long process.

The current time frame is 6 to 12 months for a referral, once your dossier arrives in Haiti. Two trips are required for families adopting from Haiti. The first trip occurs shortly after referral, and travel to pick up your child typically occurs between 12 and 18 months after you receive a referral (for childless couples) or 18-24 months (for families with other children).

Yep ... kids and parents waiting from one and a half to three years.

Was Haiti a garden spot before the quake? A safe haven for small children? Uh ... nope.It was a dirt poor, drastic place where bad things routinely happened to innocent people, where starvation and disease took thousands of lives and children were victims of horrible events on a daily basis.

Year End Blog Summary: The Good the Bad and the Ugly of 2009

Submitted by LisaS on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:18

"Always report the positive things first,” said the wise principal of the last high school where I taught ESL over two decades ago in preparation for parent - teacher meetings. Following that line of psychology, I’ll start my summary of 2009  with the good.

The good (and some great) things in my adoption blog world in 2009

People kept reading my blogs on Adoption Under One Roof and occasionally posting comments – ah, the wisdom in some of these comments is priceless.

More incredible people came into my life through blogging about adoption: adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents, foster parents and good people with little or no connection to adoption.

By posting a novel in segments, I became friends with an intelligent, insightful and helpful woman who has taught me much about the “other side:”

Generous and brilliant bloggers continued to respond to my requests for guestblogs gaining nothing in return but a thank you and a link to their websites. These guestbloggers (and others who are recruited by Julia and Faith who I’ve tried to include in my list) contributed diverse opinions, important and useful information and some even made us laugh in the process.

So a huge thanks to these wonderful guestbloggers: Amy, David, Dee, Eva, Janine, Jeanette, Jennifer, John, Lee, Melanie, Melinda, Melissa,  Michael, Patricia, Paula, Scraps, Snafu Suz, Suki, and Suzanne.

A Bee up my Butt on Adoption: Gloomy Forecast for 2010

Submitted by SandraHanksBenoiton on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 13:59

Fully expecting the international adoption situation to continue to disintegrate over this year as it has over the past few, starting 2010 off with some common sense thoughts on the topic seems a good idea. Easy enough today, with this in the news:

 

Police in Nigeria have arrested a doctor suspected of impregnating girls and selling their babies. The police said they found five pregnant girls aged between 12 and 17 at the doctor's clinic in the south-eastern town of Enugu. The police said the man had confessed to getting the girls pregnant and selling their children. He is to face charges in court. Trafficking is common in Nigeria, with children sold for labour and sex work. In 2008, police raided a private hospital in Enugu which they said was a "baby farm". Seven pregnant young women were found.

 

Guatemala “Might” Initiate an Intercountry Adoption Pilot Program

Submitted by LisaS on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 08:39

The National Adoption Council of Guatemala, the central committee responsible for handling adoption in Guatemala since the previous adoption system was shut down in 2007, is initiating a pilot program for intercountry adoption. This pilot program will include only four countries, but which countries has yet to be announced.

The JCICS (Joint Council of International Children’s Services) has verified that the U.S. Department of State has submitted a letter of interest to the Guatemalan government regarding participation in this pilot program. Seven other countries wrote a letter of interest as well.

The JCICS also made it very clear that this does not mean that adoption is reopening. The JCICS also reported that:

1. Potential adoptive parents may initiate a Hague adoption by submitting an I-800A with the National Benefits Center for a Guatemalan adoption, but this application cannot be processed through to a completed adoption. Guatemala is still not compliant with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.

2. The Government of Guatemala has not published a time-line for country selection nor initiation of the pilot program.

3. The Government of Guatemala has not provided assurances that the pilot program will actually be initiated.

4. The Government of Guatemala has not published the criteria by which they intend to accredit foreign adoption service providers. Based on the announcement published on the Guatemalan Central Authority’s website, only one (1) adoption service provider will be selected per country for participation in the pilot program.

One Child at a Time

Submitted by LisaS on Sun, 12/06/2009 - 20:47

Adoptive parents who have travelled to Guatemala to bring their children home have seen it everywhere – hardship, hunger and desperation. The problem is so pervasive that the fund strapped government of Guatemala can’t do more than put a band aid on a huge gaping wound. World organizations contribute significantly but the tragic fact is that the situation is not getting better.

My Guatemalan born daughter and I watched this video online. She was born in Quiche, one of the areas shown in the video. We looked at the faces of beautiful children who looked so much like her. She noticed this: “Look Mom, they look like me.” Yes, they look like her but unlike my healthy daughter who thrives on good nutrition, these children are starving and over 50% of them are stunted in growth.

To the average onlooker these children don’t look hungry, just very short. That is because they exist on tortillas and some pasta, but almost no protein. As we know, without protein, brain development is hindered as well as physical growth. Farmers in Guatemala sell off their eggs and vegetables in order to scratch out a meager existence, but their children don’t get to eat them. Beans, a staple in many a Guatemalan’s diet, are too expense for poor families to purchase. The World Food Program’s statistics show that nearly half of the children in this country are chronically malnourished and in some areas 90%.

Day 2 of Wake up Unicef!

Submitted by LisaS on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 08:10

                         

From Tracy Hoehn:

Today is Day 2 of the attack on UNICEF and is going to be much easier. Call 212-326-7000 – which is the main number for UNICEF. Ask for Ann Veneman (don't be surprised if she is not available).

Here is the script (use what flows comfortably with your own voice):

I am calling for Ann Veneman today in support of the Guatemala900 initiative. I respectfully request UNICEF directly intervene with the Guatemalan Government on behalf of the hundreds of children whose Grandfathered Adoptions have been in process since 2007. Please end the victimization of these children and support their basic right to a family."

Call whenever you get a chance and know that when you speak, you are giving voice to a child who has none. And when you call - you are shutting UNICEF down for the day. They will hear us!

WAKE UP UNICEF!!!

Submitted by LisaS on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 12:59
                       

I am posting this information today in hope that many of our readers will participate in the campaign to jolt UNICEF into helping the children in Guatemala whose adoptions have been stuck in limbo for almost 2 years.

Here is the email to be sent to Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF.

The goal is to “shut UNICEF down” on Tuesday, December 1st and make them know that many people are fighting for the rights of these children.

Thank you to Tracey L. Hoehn for taking this initiative.

 

Dear Ms. Veneman, aveneman@unicef.org

I am writing to you in support of the Guatemala 900 initiative to request timely due process and transparency for the children (some of whom are the legal children of US Citizens and possess US Visas) whose grandfathered adoption cases are still languishing in bureaucratic delay. We request your support and advocacy for the hundreds of children whose futures are at stake.

Sandra Speaks out Against Anti-Adoption Rhetoric of Mirah Riben

Submitted by SandraHanksBenoiton on Wed, 11/25/2009 - 11:35

I would love to address the content of this article, a new offering from anti-adoption banger Mirah Riben, but I first must pull out the blue pencil and do so many corrections of the grammar and punctuation that it will take more effort than the piece is worth.

The fact that Mirah continues to be published even with such poor writing skills speaks to the vociferousness of the anti league, and to a lack of observational and comprehension skills. This makes it so easy to cherry pick random quotes, arrange them in a barely readable mishmash and pass the whole thing off as information, and when preaching to the choir that is all that is necessary.

Trotting out unsubstantiated numbers helps, too:

"These fears, myths and misconceptions, coupled with the glamorization of rescuing orphans, are perpetrated by an adoption industry that generates an estimated 6.3 billion annually worldwide and 23 billion domestically."