The internet is a great way for friends and family to share pictures back and forth without the hassle of postage and money for gas on the way to the Post Office. The immediate gratification of uploading and posting a picture has people, world wide, sharing things that would otherwise take a lot of time or simply not be possible. Of course, there are those who want to abuse the fact that people are willing to upload and post pictures. This presents a unique dilemma for birth parents.

Perhaps you are a birth parent involved in an open adoption. Perhaps you... more

A fellow adoption news follower sent me a link to this "article." Of course, it's not an article. Instead it's a "Letter to the Editor" from a waiting adoptive mother to the newspaper in the city which the Pregnancy Pact teens all live. And by "Letter to the Editor," I mean "Letter to the Teens Themselves." Why this newspaper decided to print such an obvious and blatant "Give Me Your Baby" note is beyond me. It's... more

Take a moment to read this article. Done? No? You need me to paraphrase for you? Okay. Basically, an expectant mother was working at a restaurant. One of her tables leaves and, along with their tip, they leave a card that reads, and I quote:

We wish to adopt a baby. We are a caring, happily married, financially secure and loving couple. We want to share our joy and love with a child.

There are many things wrong with this... more

I was reading a really heartwarming article (that mentions our own Coley). I was getting a good vibe. I was feeling really happy for the birth mother and son that were reunited. I was really happy that the media covered a happy adoption story instead of something awful. And then it all went to heck in a hand basket.

“My goal is to help just one girl choose adoption over abortion,” she said.

I am not about to promote abortion in any way whatsoever. I have no experience... more

Everyone who has read a lick of what I write knows that I support ethical adoptions and the reforms that are taking place to ensure that adoptions are being handled ethically. And so, I perked up when I saw this article. Oklahoma has won approval to review their adoption laws which apparently haven't been reviewed since 1994. How much has changed in 14 years?

Of course, my hopes were quickly dashed. Why do I get excited? Why do I bother with... more

What? Does the title of this post make you scratch your head? Me too. It hails from this article which wears its own title of "Adoption in the Womb." My mind is spinning.

The story is out of Mexico. Some lawmakers are trying to combat abortion. Unfortunately, instead of starting with the actual problem (lack of sexual education and access to legitimate birth control), they're working on after-the-fact issues. Their idea, in case you couldn't guess, is... more

Remember just yesterday? (Okay, I don't remember what I wore or ate yesterday. Let me clarify.) Remember just yesterday when I talked about holding agencies, attorneys and the like to an ethical standard? And what would happen if our country imparted actual punishments to those who try to get past red tape and act in totally unethical and inappropriate manners? Did you think the sky would fall first, too?

Welcome... more

Apparently American agencies, social workers and attorneys are not the only ones who are stomping all over father's rights. In this story out of New Zealand, we can see how the unethical practices of adoption aren't unique to our country. The problem is world wide and, really, that's scary.

However, the silver lining to this story is two-fold: the child was returned to his father after he started a legal battle and the attorney who advised the mother... more

An update to my previous post: the ruling came down just this morning. The baby is to be removed from the adoptive parents and returned to the agency. For now, the agency plans to place the baby with the biological mother's own parents as she files her own suit to gain custody. She has filed a petition to overturn the Termination of Parental Rights (TPR). And, quite frankly, it sounds as if the TPR will... more

I have always driven home the fact that 100% honesty, no matter what the cost, is needed in adoption. This goes for pre-placement matching and post-placement relationships. This story out of Nebraska proves the reasons why.

In short, an adoptive family was on a waiting list for two years when they were finally matched with an expectant mother. The expectant mother, like every other expectant mother considering placement, had a list of things that she wanted in a family for her child. One... more