The first step toward real reforms in adoption is educating yourself, since the responsibility for ethical behavior is always, at its heart, a personal thing.

Since, however, adoption doesn't happen in a vacuum the road to deep and meaningful reform must pass through the entire community, and not only the adoption community.

Misinformation about adoption is rife in the world. Incorrect assumptions are made about every note of the triad chord and most of the details that are involved in the process of adopting. Birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees are all cast... more

A look at adoption stigma from New Zealand cites a study called, "Blood Ties With Strangers: Navigating the Course of the Adoptive Reunion over the Long Term", an in-depth look at relationships between adoptive children and their birth families.

Touted as the first study to explore the relationship beyond the so-called "honeymoon period" of reunion, it has just been published by the School of Social and Cultural Studies in Auckland.

Taking exception to Nancy Verrier's "Primal Wound" theory that states that adoption is a lifelong experience of grief for... more

In 1965, Faith Ireland was a 22 year old college student at Washington State University. She became unexpectedly pregnant and like many women in that era who experienced unplanned pregnancies, she went to an unwed mother’s home and then gave up her baby girl for adoption.

Faith carried that secret with her for years all the while building a successful career as an attorney and a judge. In 1983, Faith Ireland was elected as a Superior Judge and in 1998 she was elected to the Washington State Supreme Court. While on the Supreme Court she decided to break her silence and share with the world that she was a birthmother.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Ms. Ireland a few... more

Some bit and pieces of international news with adoption-related ties ... some loose, I'll admit, but interesting nonetheless ... have been collecting in the corners again, so I'll download them here for perusal.

First, anyone with links to China should check out this site, called Chinese Adoptee Links. Created with a goal to build a global network for "adopted, hapa and fostered people and friends worldwide", it "honors the diversity of our experiences, the richness of our identities, and the importance of our stories."

They also detail events around the country people may be interested in attending, from pen... more

Embryo adoption is in the news today, from a couple of different angles.

First, this on a study from Duke University and Johns Hopkins to be published in the July 6 issue of "Science" saying that sixty percent of over 1,000 infertility patients with frozen embryos are willing to donate those unused to stem cell research.

“Until now, the debate about federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has been dominated by lawmakers and advocates. But what about the preferences of infertility patients, who are ethically responsible for,... more

Today's adoption news has to start with this touching account from NPR from a man warming to the reality that he will become a father through the miracle of adoption.

Harkening back to his teen years when accidental impregnation was something to be feared and avoided, he charts the emotional path he's trod since marriage and an up-close-and-personal look at infertility.

Sweet, and well worth a click and a read.

Following from a recent International Adoption... more

Starting off the day's news with a follow-up to a couple of stories from yesterday's post, the bill proposed in the Ohio Senate making it easier for the state's families to adopt was passed unanimously. It will now move to the House for consideration.

(You may be surprised to learn that the US is only one of four countries... more

An Ohio State Senator, and adoptive dad, Eric Kearney, has sponsored a bill making adoption easier in the state that was expected to pass yesterday afternoon.

Senate Bill 30 will establish a loan program offering $2,000 to $3,000 to adoptive families adopting an Ohio child. At the moment, there are approximately 2,800 waiting children in the state.

This follows Sen. Patricia Clancy's Bill 20 which tripled Ohio's income tax credit for adoption from $500 per child to $1,500.

Good for Ohio!

The Human Rights Commissioner of Kazakhstan,... more

If you've been following the story about "Focus on Children", the Utah adoption agency recently indicted on 135 counts of fraud and immigration violations regarding its program for adoptions from Samoa, there is more news this week.

In a story that takes a look at Focus on Children and Legacy International, an agency facing the same sort of allegations, Utah Human Services Licensing director, Ken Stettler says, "We try to inform parents anytime you deal with international adoption, you're taking a risk".

As mentioned in ... more

This list of resources for self-education for those coming to adoption with little real information is continued from here.

The Human Rights Databank gives a complete view into just why international adoption is often a wonderful thing, as a picture of the real world is all that's needed to remind people of how life, and death, is for far too many children.

... quite possibly the world’s most comprehensive listing of human rights material derived from independent, grassroots NGOs around the globe. All 12... more