In my best, "Gee whiz, it's about time" impression of innocence, I'll start today's news with the stunning revelation that adopted kids will now have the same benefits as biological children in Illinois.

Yep. Apparently up until the recent passage of House Bill 49, the law in that state did not ensure that legally adopted children would be treated the same as bio kids when parents died and pension plans came into play.

The process of fixing this abomination of legal mumbo-jumbo required the amendment of 15 pension codes for public positions like General... more

Following Julie's post the other day on bullying and the red flags it prompts, this story on what parents can do seemed like something that should be passed along.

Taking the stance that bullying is not something to be ignored and that kids shouldn't be left to their own devises for dealing with it, a long and helpful list of tips on how to deal with the situation is included.

Although bullying does not necessarily equal violence, it can, and violence in schools is a real and horrifying... more

Continuing to follow the situation in Guatemala that's been spinning out over the past few days, it's beginning to look like the Casa Quivira case is already unraveling, as authorities have released two babies, deeming their adoptions "legal".

The US Embassy seems to be pushing for the investigation to move along rapidly, and I'm sure families and children are thankful for all the help they can get in sorting this mess out.

Hopefully, they get around to the others soon, and apologize to everyone damaged.

And speaking of damaged orphans, ... more

For a look at the human side of the present situation in Guatemalan adoptions, here's an article that has a parental angle, although what's happening with the kids involved who had been living at Casa Quivira doesn't seem to be being mentioned anywhere.

If this turns out to be nothing more than political maneuvering or some sort of grandstanding, heads should roll.

From Evansville, Indiana,, ... more

The latest celeb name to be hooked to the adoption bandwagon is that "La Vida Loca" guy, Ricky Martin. (Who, incidentally actually played here in Seychelles once a few years back ... before anyone had heard of him outside of Puerto Rico.)

Quick to ward off the usual star-power-does-adoption stuff, he says he's planning to "do it right".

Deeply involved in children's issues through his work as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and the Ricky Martin Foundation,... more

It's going to take me a while to get up to speed on the adoption news after a week's vacation, so I'm starting off with some headlines that have grabbed my attention.

The hoopla out of Guatemala has to be the loudest news around at the moment, but how important it ends up being is yet to be seen.

Rumors have floated around the Latin American adoption community regularly for years, including some in the past that suggested babies were being fattened up for consumption, so big 'to dos' are nothing new. For a good look at the present situation, read ... more

I came across a few interesting articles regarding two of the candidates for the Presidential Republican nomination that might be of interest to some of you in the adoption community.

The first article is about Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and one of the front runners for the Republican Presidential nomination. He has previously been tagged as a pro-abortion candidate but is trying to align himself with Republican pro-lifers. Recently while campaigning in Iowa, he said, “I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.” He wants to emphasize... more

An article in the Daily Press in Virginia announces that Virginia has just joined the ranks of about three dozen other states that have developed Putative Father Registries. The Virginia Putative Father Registry is a confidential database that is designed to protect the rights of a father by establishing paternity and notifying a father of the termination of parental rights or adoption proceedings for a child he may have fathered.

Putative Father Registries are designed to identify potential fathers and make it their option to take part... more

There are a few bits of news I'd like to get off my chest before I leave for my vacation, as today's post is not one I want to carry around with me for any longer than necessary.

For a lot of the past week, I've been greatly disturbed by reports of parents killing their children. From far-flung areas of the US, those who should be prepared to fling themselves in front of speeding trains or flying bullets to protect their innocent offspring have instead murdered their own children.

A Dallas suburb was the setting for the carnage Andrea Roberts created when she shot her husband and two children, 11-... more

Madonna's adoption ... or not-yet-adoption, rather -- is back in the headlines.

Like so much of the coverage of celebrity adoptions ... or not-yet-adoptions ... the story has no substance. Today's news is actually about nothing, but that doesn't mean there's not a heck of a lot of it.

There... more