Although the title of the measure is “unmarried couples” the agenda clearly is aimed at keeping gay men and women “from becoming foster or adoptive parents”.

My husband with AJ at the orphanage in Russia.

On November 25 a Florida court pointed out that allowing gay couples to adopt is less about protecting gay couples than protecting children. These laws, it seemed, were originally written to discriminate against gays and have thus ended up harming the thousands of children in foster care.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman found the 1977 Florida law unconstitutional because it violated the rights of these foster children to receive equal treatment under the Florida law.

The big problem with states like Florida, Missisippi, Arkansas, and Utah is that laws like these do not allow children in foster care to be placed with unmarried gay couples (or unmarried people in general…the law created to keep foster children out of the homes of gay individuals). Even if loving, stable couples wanted to foster or adopt they are just not able to.

However, in other states there are 65,000 children who are being raised by same-sex parents, according to a March 2007 report (Urban Institute and the Williams Institute at University of California at Los Angeles School of Law).  The report also mentions that about 14,100 foster children are living with one or more gay or lesbian foster parent.

Currently, 11 states and Washington D.C. specifically state that sexual orientation cannot legally prevent gay and lesbians from adopting but three states (Arkansas, Mississippi, and  Utah) have gotten around this by dying unmarried couples the right to foster or adopt.

And, even though states (like Michigan) don’t have bans it still can be difficult, as there are few judges and adoption agencies that will officially “allow” same-sex adoptions.

How does this affect children? For those being denied good care it can be devastating. Personally, I would much rather any child be in a loving home, no matter the race or sexual orientation than be left to hop foster homes or be institutionalized like my son was.

Post from: Blisstree

Gay Adoption: Fighting the Battle

“It is tragic for children that the U.S. government has not been able to find ways to work with the Vietnamese government to prevent adoption abuses while at the same time processing legitimate adoptions,” said Tom Atwood, president of the Washington-based National Council for Adoption, a research and advocacy organization.

“Many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children will not have families as a result of this failure of leadership.”

Will keep you updated on this but in the meantime the AP has great details. Please read.

Post from: Blisstree

Vietnam Halts US Adoptions

The new report is a nine page report detailing brokers who “scour villages for babies, hospitals selling infants whose mothers cannot pay their bills, and a grandmother giving away her grandchild-without telling the child’s mother.”

Vietnam is denying these claims stating that orphanage directors possibly take bribes but baby-selling is not an issue.

What happens in several cases is that adoption agencies provide donations to orphanages in return for referrals. If referrals are scarce orphanages will then go “scouting” for children to refer to the adoption agencies. This, unfortunately, is where the fraud comes in to play.

However, perhaps the entire system is somewhat fraudulent? If the adoption agencies were not funding the orphanages through donations (the main source of income) then the orphanage would not feel pressure to find children?

At this time Vietnam adoptions are very popular among US families, especially after Angelina Jolie’s adoption of Pax. Adoptions were up over 400 percent last year.

The current Vietnam/US adoption agreement expires on September 1. The US is suggesting a similar DNA test to Guatemala to help prevent fraud.

The US has also recommended that US adoptive parents not begin any new paperwork with Vietnam.

For more information about Vietnam adoption visit the Adopt Vietnam.

Post from: Blisstree

Vietnam Corrupts Adoptions?