News

Adoption Closed in Vietnam, Time Running out for Adoption Cases Stuck in Guatemala, Hope for Ethiopian Children with HIV

LisaS — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:43:37 -0500

It seems like just yesterday that adoption from Vietnam reopened and families were eagerly anticipating the day they could bring home children to love and parent. In 2007, 828 children were adopted from Vietnam and in 2006, 163, after adoptions from Vietnam were closed between 2004-5. But now the adoption agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam has expired, and the program closed indefinitely because of an inability to resolve disagreements over fraud and corruption. When adoptions reopened in 2006, immoral and greedy people eager to make fast money attached themselves to the adoption process in Vietnam, apparently abducting children who were not available for adoption. Now approximately 1700 American families are left in limbo, even though Vietnamese officials claim they will complete the adoptions of families who are already matched with a child.

Of course, the baby is being thrown out with the bathwater, because there is no shortage of children in Vietnam needing homes. But this is the way it always happens in the intercountry adoption world - reforms cannot seem to be made without stopping the process, at the price of making children suffer. Adoption from Vietnam did not create orphans; there have always been orphans in Vietnam who need forever families. But officials in third world countries have a hard time curbing corruption, and with no organizations like UNICEF willing to help facilitate transparent adoptions, ultimately the door to adoption closes.

New “90210” to Have a Transracial Adoption Storyline

FaithA — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:45:02 -0500

How many of you are 90210 fans? I was a fan of Beverly Hills 90210 before the show was even “cool.” I knew who Jason Priestly was (and had a crush on him) even before he became a household name.

Why am I bringing up this old show? Because a new version of the show called 90210 is premiering next week on Tuesday, 9/2, at 8:00 p.m. EST on the CW. And that version of the show has a transracial adoption storyline in it.

I just learned about the adoption storyline by reading my TV Guide, which has been my faithful companion for years now. (Yes, I am aware that I need a life!!) This week’s issue contains an article about the new show and introduces the 90210 characters, one of whom is described as “Dixon Wilson, Annie’s adopted brother.”

Oregon Finally Agrees to Pay Adoption Subsidies

JulieC — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 05:31:05 -0500

A While back, when we were discussing online adoption photo listings, Foster Mommy happened to point out that when it comes to cute, young, and relatively healthy children, no one can beat the NWAE. I too am a large fan of the Northwest Adoption Exchange, with Oregon being one of my favorite states to search. That being so, I was absolutely floored to read the latest adoption related reason that Oregon is in the news.

It appears that in 2003 Oregon had a few blunders when it came to counting, numbers, and well, staying within its budget. Its answer to the not enough mullah crisis was to cut the adoption subsidy payments to more that 6,688 families that had adopted from the state's foster care system. Some parents were out only nominal amounts of money and suffered a minor annoyance, more than anything else, while other families were out more than a thousand dollars a month, causing their children to miss out on vital services for their special needs, as well as causing parents to fret over how all of their bills were going to get paid since it was now their budget that was suddenly two sandwiches shy of a picnic.

Who is Most Likely to Adopt?

JulieC — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:50:34 -0500

To some it will come as no surprise at all, but the rest of the world will desperately be wiping coffee off of their computer screens as they learn that men aged 18-44 are more than twice as likely to adopt as women of the same age group. Among married couples, men were more than two and a half times likely to have adopted a child, with 3.8 percent of men, compared to 1.4 percent of the women who had adopted.

This is the first time that a government survey about adoption has traced what a man’s connection and experience with adoption is, as well as those of unmarried women in the United States. While married men may have the lead in adoptions for that particular demographic; which is believed to be related to more biological mothers retaining custody of their children after a divorce than fathers, allowing the opportunity for more stepfathers to adopt their stepchildren, single women of the 18-44 demographic came out on top with 100,000 of them adopting in 2002, compared to only 73,000 men.

Texas Polygamist Case Continues

JulieC — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:42:26 -0500

It seems so long ago now that the news was flooded with articles about the religious compound that was raided by authorities in Texas, and the large amount of children who were removed due to suspected involvement in forced arranged underage spiritual marriages.

The world screamed out with cries of injustice on both sides of the fence, their were those who wept for the young girls who were forced into marriages and marital duties with their new husbands, and those who wept over the government tromping on the religious freedoms of those who sought comfort and protection in the polygamist sect; The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, run by Warren Jeffs.

Myspace Reunites Mother and Daughter

JulieC — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:22:07 -0500

Here’s a little something that you may have missed this week. The TV reality show, America’s Got Talent teamed up with Myspace to do the first online reality show auditions, and no, that is not the big news that you may have missed, only the lead up, so hang on to your hats! One of the contestants who made it onto the show through her myspace audition, Holly Stone, told the story of the first time that myspace.com had changed her life; when it reunited her with the daughter that she had given up for adoption years ago.

Criminal Records and CPS

JulieC — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:52:22 -0500

There is a story just out of Texas that has my wheels spinning. It would seem that some 370 Child Protective Service workers, those in charge of making life decisions for vulnerable children have criminal records with offenses such as, but not limited to; DWI, theft, domestic violence, indecent exposure and prostitution, possession of cocaine and marijuana, and selling alcohol to minors. Just the kind of behavior that you would want in a responsible adult in charge of children who are in desperate need of someone to trust.

Cordelia Jones is a CPS investigator. She is on probation for a drug possession charge in Williamson County.

CPS investigator Cynthia Crayton has numerous criminal cases in her background, mostly thefts by check. She still owes $193 in fines for driving with an invalid license.

David Mendoza pleaded guilty to assault with bodily injury to a family member and violation of a protective order. He is a CPS supervisor in El Paso."

-keyetv.com

Full article

How is this possible? Yes I can understand that we are all human and that from time to time all of us make mistakes, but this is a little bit beyond understandable, in fact this is way beyond understandable. These are people that work with the law, their job is keep children away from people who commit crimes such as these, how is it possible that they can commit such crimes, show an obvious lack in judgment in their own lives, yet still be allowed to make life altering decisions for children?

Babies Born From Frozen Embryos Are Healthy

FosterMommy — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:33:03 -0500

Danish researchers have reported that nearly 1300 hundred babies born in Denmark from 1995 to 2006, using frozen embryos are healthy. Not only are they healthy, but they report that they weigh more than the 18,000 babies conceived by in-vitro fertilization from the fresh embryos do. Researchers believe that their study provides strong evidence that freezing and thawing embryos does not increase risks for an unhealthy child. This seemed to fit today with Angela’s article about Conceive Unnaturally - Genetic Bewilderment.

Hot Adoption News

JulieC — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:21:16 -0500

Adoption News

Coupon FREE Gonorrhea & Chlamydia Test – Tell Your Teenagers

FosterMommy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:59:25 -0500

While scanning today’s free weekly paper full of local ads, I came across a coupon. Being an avid coupon clipper, I checked it out because it said FREE in large letters. A widow on a fixed social security income must be frugal you know. Especially when raising two teenage foster daughters. Remember that one of them has aged out of foster care and has no income. Call me old-fashioned or tell me I live under a rock. This is the first time I have ever seen a coupon for FREE STD testing. At first, I was stunned and then I clipped it out.