Georgia Adoption Law Blog

Vietnam Ending Child Adoption Agreement with the U.S.

Vietnam is ending its child adoption agreement with the United States.

The move comes after a report from the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi alleging pervasive corruption and baby-selling in Vietnam's adoption system.

The agreement was being considered for renewal, but in a letter to the embassy, Vietnam says it will stop accepting applications from American families after July 1st. Applications from families matched with babies before July will continue to have their paperwork processed.

The U.S. report lists cases in which infants were sold or birth mothers pressured to give up their babies. It describes brokers going to villages to search for babies who could be put up for adoption.

It also says some American adoption agencies have been paying orphanage directors for referrals and some have bribed officials
with shopping sprees and junkets to the U.S.

Vietnamese officials deny the charges, calling them "unfair."

SOURCE: WGRZ.com in an AP story by Maria Sisti

As Ethiopian Adoptions Increase, A Network Forms

After months of applying to adopt babies in China and the United States with no results, Dawn Manogue and her husband, John Toomey, went back to their files to start over.

Manogue found a pamphlet advertising an Ethiopian adoption program and saw a picture of a 3-year-old boy who had been waiting in the Ethiopian orphanage for almost a year. She hung the photo on her refrigerator and, after seeing the boy's face every day, she and Toomey knew that he was going to be their son.

The West Hartford couple adopted Dawit two years ago through Wide Horizons for Children, an agency based in Massachusetts with a regional office in West Hartford. When Vicki Peterson, the executive director of external affairs, helped start the program in 2003, she didn't expect more than 10 to 20 placements per year of Ethiopian children in the U.S.

She didn't set her expectations high enough. Although there were only three Ethiopian children placed in its first year, 41 were placed in its second. And five years after the program's inception the agency has placed more than 500 Ethiopian kids in homes throughout the United States.

"I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it feels," she said. "... It's a faster program growth than we ever anticipated and faster than we have experienced in almost any other country, except maybe China."

She attributes its popularity to people becoming comfortable with the idea of adopting from a country once they see someone they know go through a successful adoption. Also, adopting from Ethiopia is more flexible than from other countries, with lower fees and a shorter application process, she said. And then there's the celebrity attention that Angelina Jolie brought to the country when she went through Wide Horizons more than two years ago to adopt her daughter Zahara.

Most of the families have formed bonds based on their similar experiences, including one very emotional one. When American parents go to Ethiopia, Wide Horizons asks them to bring photos that document their homes and their lives to share with the biological families.

"The belief is that they're creating one family now, the American family and the Ethiopian family. It's so powerful," said Mary Fournier, the regional manager for Wide Horizons.

"We prepare families early on that this is an aspect of this program and if you want to adopt from Ethiopia you have to be comfortable with that aspect," she said. "It's really a different way of looking at birth families — here's a new aunt and uncle and new cousins and new siblings we've added to our families, and they happen to live in Ethiopia."

Toomey, who also has a 7-year-old biological daughter, said that though they were aware Dawit's father had made peace with his decision, Toomey didn't know exactly how to feel in that moment. "I was already a father and I just tried to put myself in his situation and it was heart-wrenching," he recalled.

Damen Polance of Tolland took a deep breath and shook his head as he thought about the weight of that moment. He and his wife, Catherine, adopted their first child, Elijah, from Ethiopia two years ago when he was 5 months old. Both Elijah's parents are dead and the Polances met a couple of his siblings and his aunt and uncle.

"How do you thank somebody for giving you a child?" Catherine Polance said.

The family returned to Ethiopia this year to adopt their second child, Nevaeh, a baby girl who has recovered from undernourishment. They brought Elijah along to reconnect with his family.

Sheila Turner and Robert Cleary of Manchester also plan on returning to Ethiopia with their twin daughters, Aoife and Niamh, whom they adopted in November. The girls' biological mother died of malaria, leaving the father and five siblings to care for twins they couldn't afford.

"They've lost as much as they've gained by coming here," Turner said about her daughters, who have left a large family.

The couple shared photos of themselves, their home and their life and took mementos of Ethiopia back to Manchester.

"We'd like to be able to go back and bring them back and show them where they're from," Cleary said.

As the program has grown, so has the close network the adoptive families have built for each other. This has included throwing holiday parties and meeting for dinner at Ethiopian restaurants in Hartford and New Haven.

Having that friendship among families "makes it a lot easier," Polance said, especially when they need to discuss the experience of raising an interracial family. Like the majority of parents who adopt through Wide Horizons, Catherine and Damen Polance are white.

The couple wanted to have more than one child, which is the reason they returned to Ethiopia to adopt Nevaeh. But the second adoption also served a purpose for Elijah, too: "to have somebody else in the family who looks like him," Catherine Polance said.

The interracial aspect of their family has had an effect, if not on the couple, then on other people.

"We used to live in Southington. We used to get more looks," she said. "But when we moved [to Tolland], we had no issues."

Turner belongs to an online chat group for Connecticut parents who have adopted from Ethiopia and frequently e-mails other parents who have adopted Ethiopian twins. She said she believes the network that has been formed will be integral as the children grow older.

"They need to know that there are other kids out there like them," Turner said.

SOURCE: Hartford Courant in a story by Régine Labossière

Adoption Problems in Other Countries

The slowdown affecting adoptions from China coincides with unrelated complications in several other countries that have been major sources of adopted children for American parents. Some examples:

_GUATEMALA: Irregularities and suspected fraud have cast a cloud of uncertainty over many of the 2,900 pending U.S. adoptions from Guatemala, which is the second-largest source of adopted children — after China — for the United States. The State Department on April 1 advised potential adoptive parents not to initiate new adoptions from Guatemala.

_RUSSIA: Laws affecting adoptions by foreigners have become stricter, while Russia has been trying to expand domestic adoption. Last year, 2,310 Russian children were adopted by Americans, down from a peak of 5,865 in 2004.

_VIETNAM: Renewed U.S. concern about possible baby selling, fraud and corruption — the same fears that led to suspension of Vietnamese adoptions from 2003 to 2005 — are again holding up visas for some babies adopted in Vietnam. The U.S. embassy has confirmed more than a dozen problematic cases, and Vietnamese adoption officials have said roughly 20 American families are affected.

_KAZAKHSTAN: Officials of Kazakhstan, the eighth-largest supplier of adopted children to the U.S. in 2007, informed the State Department last month that it was reviewing its adoption process and would suspend its normal handling of applications during the review.

SOURCE: Associated Press

Waits Lengthen for Adoptions From China

China remains the country of choice for thousands of Americans seeking to adopt a child, but the time frame for new applications is now often triple what it was a few years ago and many families are enduring uncertain, emotionally draining waits.

"I've gone up and down with it — like a roller coaster ride," said Barbara Duarte Esgalhado, a single mother in Manhattan. She has a 7-year-old daughter adopted from China and filed paperwork in January 2006 for a second adoption that has yet to materialize.

"You find yourself rethinking it a lot more — is this still a good idea?" said Duarte Esgalhado, a 50-year-old writer and psychologist.

Her daughter, Uma, was a big fan of getting a sister when the idea surfaced three years ago. Now, she's ambivalent. "A 4-year-old thinks differently about a sibling than an 7-year-old," her mother said.

The longer waits — projected at three or four years for many new applicants — officially are attributed to the large number of foreigners trying to adopt from China coupled with a smaller pool of available children and a slower review process. The China Center of Adoption Affairs, long respected for its ethics and efficiency, avoids specific promises about how long applications might take.

Infant girls by the thousands are abandoned every year in China, and the nation has been America's top source of foreign adopted children since 2000. But the annual total fell to 5,453 last year, down from a peak of 7,906 in 2005, and further declines are expected as part of an overall drop in foreign adoptions.

Texas-based Great Wall China Adoption, one of the largest agencies focusing on China, says its annual caseload is down by half.

"Unfortunately we've had families who have decided to withdraw from the process," said Great Wall spokesman Leigh Ann Graf. "We have some families who are very angry about the wait times — and others looking at the time as a way to get all those things in that they won't be able to do after they become parents."

The uncertainty has fueled rumors and speculation within the tight-knit community of Americans who have adopted from China or hope to do so. Some believe the longer waits are part of a temporary Chinese effort to scale back international adoptions ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August. Others wonder if China may be phasing out foreign adoptions almost entirely.

"Our agency made clear our wait could be three years, four, five — they just don't know," said Mike Suomi, a Manhattan architect. He and his wife, Jenn, have applied to adopt a second child to become a sister to 5-year-old Olivia, whom they adopted from China in November 2003.

"China is becoming an economic powerhouse," Suomi said. "As far as we know, there's an embarrassment factor to having an inability to take care of your own children."

The Suomis are working with Spence-Chapin, a venerable New York-area adoption agency whose caseload for China has dropped sharply due to the delays. Ann Hassan, the agency's China coordinator, said the wait can be much shorter if parents agree to adopt a child with a physical handicap such as a cleft palate or congenital heart disease.

The Suomis, both in their early 40s, are willing to consider such a child, depending on specifics of the impairment. They also considered adopting from elsewhere in the Far East but found South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan unworkable for varying reasons.

"China always was the top preference," said Jenn Suomi. "There's no funny business, no corruption, no black market."

They're intent on persisting with the China application, and they work hard to help Olivia handle the longer-than-expected wait for the sibling she wants to call Mei Mei — "little sister" in Mandarin.

"Let's say we wait four years — Olivia will be 9," said her father. "We'll be four years older. That's very hard for us. ... We're ready now, and now we have to wait."

Steve and Katherine Curtis, who live in the Long Island town of Babylon, are trying to adopt a second daughter from China to be a sister to Amelia, who was adopted in September 2006 and turned 2 in December.

"We're always thinking of her," said Steve Curtis, an auto company executive. "Absolutely we think it would be helpful for her to have someone to have a shared experience with."

Their new application was registered last October. They have no clear idea how long it will take.

"We're braced for fact it could be three more years," Curtis said. "You do all you can. Then it's up to the powers that be."

Some applicants feel they're in a particularly precarious position. Theresa Fierro, a third-grade teacher from Clifton, N.J., is a single mother who — like Barbara Duarte Esgalhado — got her current application filed in 2006 shortly before China changed its rules to exclude most single parents.

"The wait is causing some fear," said Fierro, 50, who has a 5-year-old daughter adopted from China. "And it's tough to plan. ... Should I work summer school or not? Should I go on vacation or not?"

For Joann Nix, 48, of Mastic Beach, N.Y., the wait adds to frustrations that had been building up over years of futile fertility treatments.

She and her husband registered two years ago to adopt a Chinese child. They now fear the slowdown could hurt their chances of seeking a second adoption later on.

"It gets torturous some times," Nix said. "There are thousands of kids in this world who need good homes. We want just one."

In a similar predicament is Wendi Caplan-Carroll, 46, of Secaucus, N.J. She has no children of her own, though her husband has two from a prior marriage. She initially hoped an adoption from China could be completed in about 13 months. Now the process has been under way for two years, with no sure end in sight.

"I know some people who gave up, others who decided to adopt from Ethiopia," she said.

"We're not shopping around — we have our heart set on China. It's hard to give up when you want something so desperately."

On the Net:

• Families with Children from China: http://www.fwcc.org/
• China Center of Adoption Affairs: http://www.china-ccaa.org/frames/index_unlogin_en.jsp
• China Adoption Forecast: http://chinaadoptionforecast.com/

SOURCE: The Associated Press in a story by David Crary

Lesbian, lawyer win appeal of contempt over adoption case

The state Court of Appeals has thrown out contempt findings that arose from a lesbian's attempt to adopt a young girl.

Last year Wilkinson County Superior Court Judge John L. Parrott held both Elizabeth Hadaway and her lawyer, Dana P. Johnson, in contempt for disobeying his order that denied Hadaway's adoption petition in part because Hadaway had been living with her same-sex partner.

Ten-day jail sentences for Hadaway and Johnson—not the fate of a girl named Emma—were at issue in the appeals. Emma, now 7, was reunited with Hadaway last May after further proceedings.

Parrott's order had given custody to Emma's natural mother, and Parrott held Hadaway and her lawyer in contempt for what the judge said was Hadaway's failure to give up custody of the girl. But another judge later found that the natural mother, who had asked Hadaway to take Emma, refused to take the child back.

Appeals court Chief Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes, joined by Presiding Judge J.D. Smith and Judge M. Yvette Miller, wrote that Parrott's order “did not address Hadaway's or Johnson's obligations,” so they could not have violated it.

Although American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Kenneth Y. Choe argued before the appeals court in September that Parrott also erred by “accomodat[ing]” societal prejudice against gays and lesbians, the appeals court didn't reach that issue. But Choe said Monday he wasn't upset about that, noting the state already had “good law” on gay parenting.

Charles M. Cork III represented Johnson, a fellow Macon lawyer, in her appeal. Johnson said Monday she is wrapping up her law practice as a result of the ordeal, noting it cost her $20,000 in legal fees, and hopes to go into teaching. But she called the ruling “good news,” noting also that the State Bar had said it could find no cause for Parrott's bar complaint against her to go forward.

Johnson said Emma was doing well, saying, “That's the biggest miracle in the entire mess.”

SOURCE: Fulton County Daily Report in an article by Alyson M. Palmer

Photo courtesy ABCNews.com

SOURCE FOR POST: Georgia Family Law Blog

China says no immediate changes to one-child policy

BEIJING: China will not consider changing its one-child policy for at least a decade for fear that a population surge could spark social and economic instability, the nation's top family planning official said in an interview published Monday.

Zhang Weiqing of the State Population and Family Planning Commission told the official China Daily newspaper that the one-child rule should be maintained for now.

"Given such a large population base, there would be major fluctuations in population growth if we abandoned the one-child rule now," he was quoted as saying. "It would cause serious problems and add extra pressure on social and economic development."

Any change in the policy would be considered only after the end of the country's next birth peak in 10 years, Zhang said. Over the next decade, nearly 200 million people are expected to enter childbearing years.

"After the new birth peak ends, we may adjust the policy if there is need," he said in the front-page story.

The policy, launched during the late 1970s, has prevented an additional 400 million births. China's population currently stands at 1.3 billion, growing 16 to 17 million annually.

The one-child limit actually applies to only a portion of the population. In general, urban couples are restricted to one while rural couples are allowed up to two if their first child is a girl. The country's often disadvantaged ethnic minorities are also exempt from these rules.

Critics say the policy has led to forced abortions, sterilizations and an imbalanced gender ratio due to a traditional preference for male heirs.

Zhang's remarks, made on the sidelines of the annual legislative session and published in several local newspapers, are clearly aimed at slapping down reports that the country was considering scrapping its one-child policy.

Officially, China's stance on its family planning policy has not wavered. Last week Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated in his annual policy address to legislators that China will continue to "adhere to the current policy of family planning" in order to "keep the birthrate low."

However, Beijing's leaders have allowed more open discussion of the issue, particularly as the country continues its path of rapid economic and social change.

In recent weeks, several officials have suggested that an overhaul of the policy may be forthcoming since China has succeeded in slowing down its population growth.

Debate about potential changes has been fueled by concern over the growing burden of China's aging population. According to government figures, those aged 60 or older expected to top 200 million by 2015 and 280 million by 2025.

Zhang stressed that the emerging problems should not be blamed solely on the one-child policy and "it will be simplistic" to focus on a single approach.

Getting rid of the one-child policy now would create more problems than it would solve, he said.

Lower fertility rates have been credited with helping raise living standards and increase the country's economic growth.

But demographics experts worry China's intense preoccupation with controlling its population growth has created unintended consequences as birth rates drop below normal.

Gu Baochang, professor of demographics at Renmin University, said part of the issue is that the government as well as the public regard population as a negative factor in a country's development.

"Of course, the population is still growing so they still regard population as a threat to country's future. But in fact, the growth rate is already negative," he said.

China's current average birth rate is at 1.8. children per couple, below the 2.1 rate needed for a population to replace itself.

Population officials have talked about the fear of triggering a population boom if the one-child policy were lifted, but government planners are failing to consider a low-fertility scenario, said Shanghai-based population economist Zuo Xuejin.

Zuo pointed to other Asian countries, including Japan, Korea and Singapore, where fertility rates have been steadily declining, and said he believes that China is heading in that direction as well.

"In addition to this general trend, we have a very restrictive fertility control policy," he said. "It will become a problem in the future."

SOURCE: International Herald Tribune

Georgia Child Adoption Laws

Before starting to search for a child to adopt or an agency to assist you, it is important that you understand how the adoption laws in Georgia may affect your decisions. Making informed decisions is the best way of increasing your chances of adopting a child.  By way of example, we have listed below a few of the important parts of Georgia child adoption law including such topics as advertising, adoption expenses, and the critical issue of ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).

Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Use of Advertisement
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-24(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person, organization, hospital, or association that has not been established as a child-placing agency by the department to advertise, whether in a periodical, by television or radio or any other public medium or private means, that the person, organization, hospital, or association will adopt children or will arrange for children to be placed for adoption.
Individuals seeking to adopt a child or to place their child for adoption may communicate by private means, which include only written letters or oral statements.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-24(a)(2)

It shall be unlawful for any person, organization, corporation, hospital, or association of any kind, which has not been established as a child-placing agency by the department to directly or indirectly hold out inducements, including any financial assistance except medical expenses, to parents to part with their children.

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 19-8-13(c)

Medical expenses related to the pregnancy
Hospital costs for the birth of the child
Expenses related to the placement and adoption

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: § 19-8-13(c)

Payments for services related to the adoption or the placement of the minor are permitted.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: § 19-8-24

It is unlawful for any person or entity to directly or indirectly offer inducements to a parent to relinquish their child.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 19-8-13(c), (d)

Each petitioner must file a report fully accounting for all disbursements made or agreed to be made.
Each attorney must file an affidavit detailing all legal fees.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-4(a)

A child who has any living parent or guardian may be adopted through the department or any child-placing agency only if each such parent and each such guardian:
Has voluntarily and in writing surrendered all of his or her rights to the child to the department or to a child-placing agency and the department or agency thereafter consents to the adoption
Has had all of his or her rights to the child terminated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, the child has been committed by the court to the department or to a child-placing agency for placement for adoption, and the department or agency thereafter consents to the adoption

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-4(b)

In the case of a child age 14 or older, the written consent of the child to his adoption must be given and acknowledged in the presence of the court.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-10

Surrender or termination of rights of a parent shall not be required as a prerequisite to the filing of a petition for adoption of a child of that parent when the court determines by clear and convincing evidence that the parent:
Has abandoned the child
Cannot be found after a diligent search has been made
Is insane or otherwise incapacitated from surrendering such rights
Has failed to exercise proper parental care or control due to misconduct or inability
Surrender of rights of a parent shall not be required as a prerequisite to the filing of a petition for adoption of a child of that parent if that parent, for a period of 1 year or longer immediately prior to the filing of the petition for adoption, without justifiable cause, has significantly failed:

To communicate or to make a bona fide attempt to communicate with that child in a meaningful, supportive, parental manner
To provide for the care and support of that child as required by law or judicial decree, and the court is of the opinion that the adoption is for the best interests of that child

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-5

Consent may be executed any time after the birth of the child.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-9(b)

A person signing a surrender shall have the right to withdraw the surrender by written notice delivered in person or mailed by registered mail or statutory overnight delivery within 10 days after signing. After 10 days, a surrender may not be withdrawn.

The surrender document is not valid unless it states the right of withdrawal.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 19-11-9(d)(2); 15-11-96

The putative father may acknowledge paternity before or after the birth of the child in a signed writing, or indicate the possibility of paternity without acknowledging paternity.
The putative father must file a petition to legitimate the child within 30 days of receipt of notice of termination proceedings.
Notice of termination proceeding is given if:
The putative father's identity is known to the petitioner or attorney.
Any of the following is true of the putative father: he is on the putative father registry, he lived with the child, he made any attempt to legitimate the child, or he provided support or medical care for the child's mother.

SOURCE FOR POST: Adoption Services

Vietnam 'baby-smugglers' arrested

Vietnamese authorities have arrested three women and a man for allegedly smuggling newborn babies to China.

The suspects were detained with two baby boys, aged one month and one week old, in Hanoi and Ha Tay provinces.

Hanoi police said they had also detained an eight-month pregnant woman who confessed to agreeing to sell her unborn baby to the gang.

The woman was being transferred to China, where she is expected to give birth to the child.

All the babies were sold for eight million dong ($500) each.

The police said they would be offered for adoption to couples in China for around $2,000 each, because they were boys.

Girls would be sold for half the amount, according to investigators.

This is the first time the Vietnamese police have uncovered the smuggling of unborn babies.

One of the boys has been returned to his birth mother, while the other is being looked after at a children's hospital in Hanoi

SOURCE: BBC News in an article by Nga Pham

Dispute in Guatemala May Delay Adoptions

A dispute between Guatemala's new government and its independent adoption agency is threatening to delay the adoption of more than 2,500 Guatemalan children, mostly by foreign parents from the United States.

Under a new adoptions law passed in December, Guatemala is requiring that all babies up for adoption must be officially approved and registered before they can be released.

The law, passed under pressure from the United States, is aimed at improving a previously poorly regulated adoption process dogged by allegations of stolen babies and mothers allegedly coerced to give up their babies.

The new law created the independent Central Adoption Authority to oversee the process, but authority representatives said the work to register all of the children could take months because they lack adequate personnel and funding.

"The lack of resources slows down the issuance of certificates," Marvin Rabanales, a government delegate to the authority, told The Associated Press on Monday. "We have no staff, just two law students, and let's not talk about computers; we don't even have a chair to sit on," he said.

The authority's offices currently are located in a house temporarily on loan by a nonprofit organization, Rabanales said. He said the organization informed him the house has been sold and the adoption authority must vacate the premises by Feb. 15.

The administration of President Alvaro Colom fired Rabanales and a second delegate, and refused to turn over $1.3 million previously appropriated by congress until he has named their replacements.

"We feel it's our right to name the people we are comfortable working with," Colom spokesman Fernando Barillas said. "We will not move a single cent until this legal issue is settled."

Rabanales and his fired colleague, Anabella Morfin, have appealed their firings in court and say they will continue to work until the issue is resolved.

Caught in the middle of the dispute are hopeful adoptive parents including Lance Kevin Armstrong, from the state of Colorado. He declined to say where in Colorado he was from.

"We don't know what's going on," said Armstrong, who along with his wife is in the process of adopting his second Guatemalan daughter. "We just know that we are missing the 'constancia' (certificate) and without it our paperwork can't go forward."

The Armstrongs adopted their first little girl on July 4, 2007, after a process of about seven months, much faster than it takes to adopt a child in China and other countries.

SOURCE: AP by JUAN CARLOS LLORCA

Child Adoption Laws - Georgia

We hope to help you learn more about [Georgia's] child adoption laws. The information provided below may not be the entire adoption law and, since laws are changed, the information may have errors, omissions, or may not be the most current. Please remember that this information should not be used as the basis for making any legal decision. Please use appropriate resources and an attorney's advice when making legal decisions.

SOURCE: ChildAdoptionLaws.com

China Adoptions to U.S. Down by Over 1000

Not a real surprise, but now the numbers are out for FY 2007:

Foreign Adoptions in U.S. Drop
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of foreign children adopted by Americans has dropped for the third year in a row, a consequence of tougher policies in the two countries — China and Russia — that over the past decade have supplied the most children to U.S. families.

Figures for the 2007 fiscal year, provided by the State Department on Friday, showed that adoptions from abroad have fallen to 19,411, down about 15 percent in just the past two years.

It's a dramatic change. The number of foreign adoptions had more than tripled since the early 1990s, reaching a peak of 22,884 in 2004 before dipping slightly in 2005, then falling to 20,679 in 2006.

"A drop in international adoptions is sad for children," said Thomas Atwood, president of the National Council for Adoption. "National boundaries and national pride shouldn't get in the way of children having families."

Adoptions from China, the No. 1 source country since 2000, fell to 5,453. That's down by 1,040 from last year and well off the peak of 7,906 in 2005. Two main factors lie behind this: an increase in domestic adoptions as China prospers and tighter restrictions on foreign adoptions that give priority to stable married couples between 30 and 50 and exclude single people, the obese and others with financial or health problems.

The tighter restrictions didn't take effect until May 2007, but those dossiers haven't even been reviewed yet, much less referred a child.

SOURCE FOR POST: Red Threads - A Chinese Adoption Blog

U.S. Joins Overseas Adoption Overhaul Plan

By JANE GROSS

Published: December 11, 2007

The United States, the world leader in international adoptions, will join more than 70 nations committed to standardizing policies, procedures and safeguards to reduce corruption in the largely unregulated adoption marketplace.

When the United States ratifies the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption tomorrow in the Netherlands, it will establish federal oversight of adoption policies and policies overseas.

The multilateral treaty is designed to protect children, birth parents and adoptive parents from shady practices, including hidden fees and child abduction.

Each nation names a central authority — here, the State Department — to establish ethical practices, require accreditation for the agencies handling the adoptions, maintain a registry to track complaints and create a system for decertifying agencies that do not meet the standards.

In addition, once the treaty is fully put in place in April, parents seeking a visa for an overseas adoption must demonstrate to the State Department that a child has been properly cleared for adoption, that a local placement had been considered, and that the birth parents were counseled on their decision and have signed consent forms. Prospective adoptive parents also must show they are properly trained for what could be a rocky transition.

Guatemala adoption legislation OKd

From the Associated Press

December 12, 2007

GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemalan legislators approved a bill Tuesday that tightens adoptions but allows pending cases, mostly involving U.S. couples, to go through without meeting the stricter requirements.

President Oscar Berger is expected to sign the measure, enabling Guatemala to comply with an international agreement designed to protect adopted children from human trafficking. The country sent 4,135 children to the U.S. last year, making it the largest source of babies for American families after China.

Many adoptive parents feared that the changes would leave in limbo about 3,700 pending adoptions, and the State Department had pressured Guatemala to make exceptions.

Adoptions have been handled exclusively by notaries, who charge an average of $30,000. One in every 100 Guatemalans born in recent years has been growing up as an adopted American.

Critics claim the system has allowed birth mothers to sell their babies for profit, and the new measure expressly prohibits birth parents from being paid.

The legislation would also create an oversight agency responsible for setting any fees.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

National Adoption Month, 2007: A Proclamation By the President of the United States of America

During National Adoption Month, we recognize the adoptive and foster families who have shared their homes and hearts with children in need, and we encourage more Americans to consider adopting young people of all ages.

Families who adopt show the generous spirit of our Nation. Every child desires a permanent home, and when parents adopt a child to love as their own, lives are forever changed. For parents, the decision to adopt a child is among life's greatest and happiest turning points. On November 17, families across the country will celebrate National Adoption Day by finalizing their adoptions, and each one of these homes will be richer for the addition of new family members.

My Administration is committed to promoting adoption of children of all ages. We are working to bring together more children with loving, adoptive parents through the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids at adoptuskids.org and by providing States with financial assistance through the Adoption Incentives Program. The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program helps improve care and services to children and families and ensure more young people in America have a caring, secure, and permanent home. Together, these efforts are building a brighter future for our youth.

During National Adoption Month, we honor adoptive and foster parents as they raise children of conviction and character. By accepting the gift of these children, parents are helping shape lives and contributing to the strength of our great Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2007 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

SOURCE: White House

Guatemala Update November 8, 2007

The Department of State has received inquiries about the status of anticipated adoption reforms in Guatemala, and the outlook for adoption cases which are currently pending. Whether the Guatemalan government elects to implement the Hague Convention on December 31st or later in the spring of 2008, pending cases would not be affected if, as expected, the final legislation includes a transition provision that allows pending cases to be processed to conclusion under current law. We continue to advise American Citizens not to initiate new adoptions until the Government of Guatemala has completed its implementation of the Hague Convention.

Adoption reform legislation remains under discussion in Guatemala’s Congress. We continue to advocate for a law that complies with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption and that includes transition provisions for cases already filed under the current system of law.

Passage of a new adoption law is only the first step. The next, urgent priority will be for Guatemalan officials to establish a Hague compliant system. Designing and implementing the necessary structural reforms will take time.

The Guatemalan Government has said it will assume its obligations as a Hague Convention member on December 31, 2007, a decision we support, because Guatemala’s children -- indeed all parties to an international adoption -- deserve the protections afforded by the Convention as soon as possible. When the Hague Convention goes into force for the U.S. in the spring of 2008, both the U.S. and Guatemala must have Hague-compliant adoption procedures in order for new adoption cases to be filed. Thus in the interest of long-term adoptions from Guatemala, responsible, prompt reform of the current law and procedures is critically important. The U.S. is committed to provide assistance and support to the Guatemalan authorities for this task.

SOURCE: U.S. State Department

Correct Adoption Terminology

Words not only convey facts they also evoke feelings. For example, when a TV or movie talks about a 'custody battle' between 'real parents' and 'other parents' this reinforces the inaccurate notion that only birth parents are real parents and that adoptive parents aren’t real parents. Members of society may also wrongly conclude that all adoptions are 'battles.'

Accurate adoption language can stop the spread of misconceptions such as these. By using accurate language, we educate others about adoption. We choose emotionally ‘correct’ words over emotionally-laden words. We speak and write in appropriate adoption language with the hopes of influencing others so that this language will someday be the norm.

Accurate Language	Inaccurate Language
Birthparent	Real parent, natural parent
My child	Adopted child; Own child
Choosing an adoption plan	Giving away, Giving up your child
Finding a family to parent your child	Putting your child up for adoption
Deciding to parent the child	Keeping your baby
Person / Individual who was adopted	Adoptee
To parent	To keep
Child in need of a family	Adoptable child; Available child
Parent	Adoptive parent
International or intercountry adoption	Foreign adoption
Child who has special needs	Handicapped child, hard to place
Child from another country	Foreign child
Was adopted	Is adopted
Birthrelative	Blood relative

SOURCE: National Council for Adoption

Teacher's Guide to Adoption

I highly recommend Robin Hilborn's book, reproduced below, to their children's tecahers to get them thinking about adoption and to start a dialogue on concerns about typical curricula in schools as it affects our adopted children:

Teacher's
Guide to
Adoption
2nd ed., 2005
By Robin Hilborn

---

A resource document prepared by Robin Hilborn, editor of
Family Helper, to promote the teaching of adoption in schools

---

What is adoption all about? When a student asks this, will you have an answer?

We present here some basic information on adoption for the elementary and secondary school teacher.

While the focus is on the adopted child, we have tried to include the perspective of children of other non-traditional families.

We hope you will find this guide useful in your classroom. Give a copy to your principal. Suggest the school board make it a resource for teachers. The students' questions are sure to come.

MODULE ONE --   Many ways to make a family
MODULE TWO --   Many ways to create a child
MODULE THREE -- Biased class assignments -- and how to fix them
MODULE FOUR -- Teaching the language of adoption
MODULE FIVE --   How to introduce adoption in elementary school
MODULE SIX   --   Answers for the pregnant student
MODULE SEVEN -- A suggested classroom presentation
MODULE EIGHT -- Research points the way
MODULE NINE  --  Adoption resources for teachers and students
MODULE TEN   --   Glossary: the ABCs of adoption

Addresses for Georgia Courthouses

Addresses for Georgia county courthouses (in alphabetical order by county) appear below.

SOURCE: Genealogy.com

Access to Adoption Records in Georgia

Obtaining Non-Identifying Information:

Adopted adults age 18 or older and adoptive parents of an adoptee younger than 18 can obtain information.

Obtaining Identifying Information:

An adopted adult (age 21 and over) can receive information if the birth parents have filed a consent. If no consent is on file, an intermediary will search for the birth parents to see if the birth parents will file a consent for release of information. If the birth parents are not located, the adopted adult can then file a petition to release the information on the birth parents.

Birth parents of an adoptee 21 or older may also initiate a search. If a birth parent wishes to initiate contact of their adopted 'child', who is now 21 or older, the department is required to attempt a search for the adoptee. If found and contacted, and the adoptee agrees to receiving the identifying information offered by the birth parent, it shall be passed onto them. Likewise, they would also be required to give additional consent to any contact through the department.

If the adoptee is deceased and leaves a child, such child, upon reaching 21 years of age, may seek the name and other identifying information concerning his or her grandparents "in the same manner as the deceased adopted person", subject to the same procedures that would have applied to the adoptee.

Georgia Statutes Regarding International Adoptions Finalized Abroad

Effect of Foreign Adoption Decree

Georgia gives full effect and recognition given to decrees issued pursuant to due process of law by a court of any other jurisdiction within or outside of the United States Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 19, Chapter 8, Section 22 (1997).

Validation of Foreign Adoption

Re-adoption allowed upon submission of valid foreign adoption decree and proof of valid visa issued by US Immigration and Naturalization Service Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 19 Chapter 8, Section 8 (1997).

SOURCE: Adoption.com