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 in the world that doesn't have a national policy allowing parents to take time off to care for new children. The other three are Swaziland, Liberia and Papua New Guinea.)

Also, here's another angle on yesterday's story on New Zealand's "Open Adoption Trust" launched yesterday with a DVD, "... aimed at young mothers explaining the adoption process and a website to give people more information about open adoption."

From Minnesota, an article on foster care in the state and the need for more African America considering the "African American Adoption Option".

“[We] are extremely short on people in the African American community [who consider the Adoption Option], and I don’t know why,” Grandpre says. “It’s as if people are afraid that they are undermining reunification if they think they might be supporting adoption.”

(More evidence of the damage those with an anti-adoption agenda can cause, and more reason to for those of us working hard to keep the option open for the world's children to continue in our efforts.)

Sticking with the foster theme for a moment, this story from the LA Times begins with the line, "Why would anyone adopt a badly abused, autistic 6-year-old from foster care?", and goes on to tell a sweet story of adoption, love and the blossoming of a human being that a family can bring.

A not at all sweet story, this, on bad behavior and excuses out of the UK ...

A man arrested on his third drunk driving charge and driving with no insurance admitted to the offenses, but defended his behavior as saying he was upset because his child, taken into care sometime before, had been released for adoption.

Adoption benefits in the US are in the news today as USA today picks up the story, saying that employers are offering adoption assistance in record numbers ... nearly 50% now as compared to 37% in 2003.

As one human resources director put it, "By supporting the adoption process, we provide a benefit that is above and beyond. It provides us a distinction in the marketplace."

Well, that would be one reason to do it. Knowing it's the right thing would be another.