Gary Stocklaufer, the man who made national headlines after claiming that he had been denied the ability to adopt his cousin's baby boy because he was overweight, and even went so far as to undergo gastric bypass surgery, losing close to two hundred pounds, in an attempt to regain custody of the little boy that he had been raising as his own, is once again back in the news.

While the courts denied that Stocklaufer was not granted the adoption due to his weight, but rather for his failure to follow proper legal procedures, stating that he and his wife took custody of the baby and brought him into the state,... more

One of the biggest factors that inhibits couples and families from adopting children, is the high cost involved in the adoption process. While adopting children from the foster care system can be completely free( after reimbursement from the state at the end of the year,) to relatively inexpensive, few looking to adopt turn towards the children waiting in foster care, for a variety of different reasons.

With some adoptions costing upwards of $20, 000, many families who would love to bring a child into their hearts, lives, and homes, find themselves at a loss when it comes to how to finance an adoption. Seeing this issue, one company has stepped up and created a new home equity loan... more

Back in February, two small Kentucky children were outside playing when they happened upon a shoe box. Inside the box they found a small newborn baby, wrapped up in a blanket as well as a plastic shopping bag for warmth. The little boy was full term, and weighed more than five pounds, and was estimated to be about two hours old.

Kentucky does have a Safe Infant Act, allowing parents, or someone acting on their behalf, to leave an infant younger than three days old at a safe place, such as a hospital, police station, fire station, or... more

For years the only way for those who were adopted in the state of North Carolina to receive any kind of identifying information about themselves prior to their adoption, was to go through the court system, but starting January 1, 2008 that will all change. North Carolina has set a new law into place, which will allow those who were adopted, including those adopted through the Department of Social Services, access to their records, or even to their birth parents, through the licensed agency that performed their adoption.

Adoptees who are 21 years of age, or older, will be able to contact the agency which handled their ... more

Just when you thought that you have seen and heard of everything imaginable, this story, about a baby being advertised for adoption on the popular website craigslist.com breaks out of Texas. It would seem as though someone decided to either trade their little one for cash, or to yank a lot of chains with a truly tasteless prank, either way no one is laughing.

The ad claimed that the baby was between 9-10 months old, as well as reporting that he or she was also healthy and calm. The ad also stated that families... more

Since we're coming to the end of National Adoption Month, also known as National Adoption Awareness Month, the news is full of related stories, many local reports of adoptions finalized in group ceremonies marking the occasion.

Adoption stories strong on the positives dominate ... stories like this one, "Adoption gives children loving, stable homes", aimed toward getting the word out that Missouri has about 2,000 children waiting for adoption.

One family's happy encounter with... more

Scottish rocker KT Tunstall has credited her brother, Daniel for wiping out whatever malaise she might have experienced related to her being an adopted member of her family.

Daniel was born deaf, and his disability put the circumstances of her birth into perspective for her: "Any personal woes I had with being adopted - which I don't remember having - were wiped out next to that."

And for working moms who might be suffering guilt pangs, ... more

If you have not yet seen this, here is the US State Department's latest notice on what is happening with the Hague, announcing that the President signed the "U.S. instrument of ratification of the Hague Adoption Convention" on the 16th of this month.

This puts everything in line for "deposit of the instrument of ratification" on the 12th of December.

The Department will announce the official date the Convention will go into force for the United States—projected to be April 1, 2008—in the Federal Register.

All rah-rah with loads... more

We have been following the on-again/off-again saga of the Canadian Province of Ontario's dealing with open adoption records for a while now as legal maneuvers shift goal posts often, and sometimes within days of the last move. Now, apparently, there is an amended bill in the works.

Looking at a compromise of sorts, the point now is to allow a disclosure veto for adoptions in the past while making... more

Anyone with ties to Bulgarian orphans will be interested in this story on a photography exhibit at the Montserrat College of Art in Bevelry, Mass. that features the work of eight young Bulgarian kids without families.

The show called, "Uncovering Identity: The Bulgarian Photo Project," began when Assistant Professor Kate Jellinghaus handed out camera to kids in state-run institutions.

... Jellinghaus gave them cameras to go out and chronicle their lives, she didn't send them out to portray... more