December 30, 2014

Adoption News Roundup

We hope you had a wonderful, blessed holiday with your family, that you were all able to be together and that everyone was able to relax and enjoy this special holiday time.

Here’s a look at some of the stories that caught our eye last week…did you happen to read any of these?

Adoptive Families asks: what happens when one spouse is all about adoption, but the other is reticent? “It was a long haul to persuade my husband to start a family. When biology failed us, he felt the subject of children was closed. Joe was not interested in raising a child whom he described as “someone else’s kid.” That was before we went to China, and held an adorable girl who instantly cast her spell over Joe. By the time we got home, he was undeniably Becky’s father. Now that there’s a happy ending, Joe and I can laugh about our more heated debates, and share our experiences with couples who are thinking about adoption. But when we were in the midst of the decision-making process, I thought Joe and I were a seriously defective marital unit.”

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the California foster care system and how often it resorts to drugging children. This is an epidemic that goes far beyond just the California foster care system, but this fascinating feature in Mercury News (four parts are available, with the fifth to come) goes deep into what these kids are going through, and how one doctor’s bold approach to treatment allowed a young foster care woman to emerge from a drug-induced haze.

Heidi Russo placed her son for adoption 19 years ago, and she recently became famous when her birth son became the star quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Russo reached out to her son, but he refused contact, saying it would be “treasonous” to his adoptive parents. “Heidi found herself caught up in the media equivalent of a quarterback blitz, with writers rushing in from every direction. Some accused her of  trying to cash in on her son’s fame and fortune. Others took issue with Colin, saying meeting your birthmother was “healthy” and “healing,” which generated yet even more comments and controversy.” America Adopts! interviewed Heidi to hear more of her story and new mission to elevate birth mothers to a higher place of honor.

Love this: open adoption stories straight from birth mothers. This round table of inspiring women share poignant thoughts on their open adoptions, and what it means to them to be birth mothers.