June 12, 2014

Adoption News Roundup

Here’s our round-up of interesting adoption news throughout the week!

Do you have an open adoption? Are you thinking about having an open adoption but are worried about creating the relationship? Adoption.com just featured a wonderful article about how to build relationships in an open adoption…with the right tools, it might be easier than you think!

The wealthiest man in LA is gearing up to use part of his $10 billion net worth to help foster youth, specifically: how courts manage foster children. Pretty awesome.

Is blood really thicker than water? That is, is biology always the best case for a child? Candace Wohl examines this thought by taking a look at the Sonya case – wherein a child is removed from the custody of her adopted parents and placed back in the custody of her birth father, who has spent nearly half his life in jail, in indictment, or on probation. Who has the right to judge whether or someone is an unfit parent? Is biology always the guide? These are definitely tough questions.

Connecticut now joins the slowly-increasing group of states who are granting adoptees access to their birth certificates. Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, an adoptee himself, is definitely in support: “I know first-hand what it’s like to lack access to your birth records,” he said in a statement. “Adoptees in Connecticut have been treated like second-class citizens for too long, unable to access our birth records that can help us understand medical issues that we might face and giving us a further understanding of our identities.”

This man describes how a harrowing adoption experience saved his family. Of a particularly despairing moment during their family’s process, he notes: “A few days after we had decided to quit, our hearts and minds began to change. We looked back over the process and could see where God had sent us little affirmations to keep going. Just keep going. So despite all we had been through, we didn’t end up quitting.”

Have you ever listened to Bethany Christian Service’s Every Child podcast? Some pretty interesting stories–great for car rides, long commutes and times where you’re bumming around the house and are sick of television. We love hearing people discuss adoption topics!