November is National Adoption Month, an occasion usually devoted to celebrating adoptive parents and asking more families to step up and care for children whose own parents are unable or unwilling to do so. But this year it might be more appropriate to use the occasion to ask why state and federal agencies are standing in the way of more children being adopted.

About half of Americans hold a favorable view of adoption, compared with about one in ten who view it unfavorably. (The remainder either don’t know or don’t have an opinion.) But in recent years, the media and policymakers have tried mightily to chip away at those numbers. Especially in the wake of the Dobbs decision, the Left wants to make sure that no one thinks adoption is preferable to abortion.

The drumbeat appears to be having an effect. According to data released from the Children’s Bureau of the federal Administration for Children and Families a few weeks ago, 391,000 kids resided in foster care on September 30 of Fiscal Year 2021, of whom 114,000 were waiting to be adopted. But the actual number who were adopted—54,200—reflects a 6 percent drop from the previous year and an 18 percent decline from FY2019.

Last week’s dialogue between Nicole Chung of The Atlantic and her fellow adoptee Tony Hynes is emblematic of the anti-adoption messaging. “Many adoptees I know today feel conflicted at best about this month,” Chung explains, “in part because the narratives leveraged to celebrate and promote adoption have not always left space for discussing its complexity.” Hynes, who is black and was raised by a white lesbian couple, responds that we are feeding into a notion that “families of color are somehow ‘less fit’ to raise their children.” Chung adds, “Yeah, sometimes it’s hard for me not to hear the assertion that ‘more kids should be adopted’ as ‘more kids should experience the trauma of being separated from their families of origin.’”

The problem of speaking in these broad terms about “narratives” is that no one is denying that adoptions are complex. Of the hundreds of adoptive parents and professionals I have met in the past several years, I cannot think of one who does not see the process as inevitably beginning from a source of loss or tragedy.

A study on international adoption brings together topical discussion and studies carried out in four European countries concerning international adoption.

The adoption study examines reviews of adoption that have been carried out or that are under way in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland. These countries were selected for the study because they have carried out such reviews in recent years.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons that had led to the reviews, the countries of origin for adoption, and the measures taken based on the reviews in each of the four countries.

In addition to country reports and reviews, the study drew on literature on adoption and data on national and international legislation. To obtain background information on the issues, the study team met with representatives of the Finnish Adoption Board and the Ministry of Justice, which are the Finnish central authorities, and the City of Helsinki Department of Social Services, Interpedia and Save the Children Finland, which provide intercountry adoption services.

Discussion on adoption continues in Finland

Justice minister Franc Weerwind wants to make foreign adoption possible again in order to "not exclude" prospective parents. Children's and human rights organizations are outraged. They believe that the minister does not put the interests of children first.

"There will always be people with an unfulfilled wish to have children. For example, people who have a same-sex partner. We want to offer that group a choice by still allowing adoption from abroad," a spokesperson for Minister Weerwind told NU.nl. . "If we completely stop foreign adoption, we will exclude these prospective parents. For the time being, we therefore see no reason to stop adopting from abroad."

The minister says that foreign adoption is only possible if a child cannot receive suitable care in its own country and there is no other option. The government will monitor this more closely. In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV) expects that foreign adoption will automatically decrease. For example, 145 children from abroad were adopted in 2019. In 2015, this was still 304 children.

Intended parents can now adopt children from six countries: Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, South Africa, Lesotho and Hungary. Adopting a child from China, the United States, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Colombia, Peru, Slovakia and the Czech Republic is no longer possible. In these countries it is more difficult to supervise adoption practices strictly, or the minister is of the opinion that suitable reception can better be arranged in the own country. The ministry is also investigating whether it will also remain possible to adopt children from Portugal and Bulgaria.

Mistakes cannot be avoided

A local adoption agency that specialises in bringing children from India to Malta opted to cancel its party at L-Arka Ta’ Noe in Si??iewi after a public status by the establishment’s owner was interpreted as “xenophobic”.

Anton Rea Cutajar, the park’s owner, posted a status to his Facebook page, saying he “wishes that cowboys would come to Malta so that we stop seeing Indians around”.

“Workers at the grocers are Indians, workers at supermarkets are Indians, cab drivers are Indians, everywhere you look, it’s Indians,” he wrote in the now-deleted status.

A parent of an adoptive child informed Lovin Malta that the venue for the party was changed after the organisers saw his Facebook post and found it offensive and in bad taste.

“We had a Christmas party planned for our adoptive children from India booked there! Obviously, it was canceled after seeing this post,” the parents told Lovin Malta.

Eline and Sander decide, when their son is three years old, to start the adoption process for a second one. After six years, the redeeming phone call comes: an adoption proposal is ready for three Hungarian sisters. “I preferred to hug them completely flat, but we held back. It was of course very exciting for them.”

Ten years ago, Eline and her husband Sander were very happy with the birth of their biological son Noah. When he was 1 year old, they tried to have a second child. Unfortunately, they had three miscarriages. “The doctors saw it as bad luck. They expected me to carry another pregnancy to term, but we still decided to stop getting pregnant.”

Eline always dreamed of a big family and one day when she put Noah to bed, she thought that countless children all over the world went to bed without a mom or dad who gives them a goodnight kiss and says 'I love you'. “That touched me. Every child deserves a loving, safe home.” In the end it is a documentary about adoption that is decisive. "We really see it as our mission to give these children a safe, loving home and, as far as we can, take the pain out of their hearts."

When Noah was 3 years old they started the adoption process. The family soon found out that there is a serious shortage of parents who want to adopt several brothers or sisters at the same time, so that children are often separated from each other. “We found that heartbreaking. Adopted children already lose so much.” Thanks to Eline's work experience and their experience with foster care, the family received special permission from the Child Protection Board to adopt several children at the same time.

Tough years

Volunteering in a library, surrounded by books and curating an author’s series provides me with a steady stream of information, education and inspiration. I get the opportunity to choose the authors, read their books and interview them. At least that's how it usually works.

It was different with Catana Tully. We met for lunch before I read her book "Split at the Root: A Memoir of Love and Lost Identity." She had told me over the phone that she would bring me a copy. I immediately recognized this striking older Black woman from her website, and the moment I saw her enter the restaurant, I became fascinated with her beauty and easy-going sophistication.

From my research, I knew Tully grew up as an adopted child in a German, Spanish and English household in Guatemala. Her well-to-do adopted family gave her every advantage, even sending her to a fancy private boarding school in Jamaica that was affiliated with Cambridge University in England.

With her life of privilege and education, and her knowledge of many languages, Tully aspired to be an international interpreter. While studying in Germany, she fell in love with acting and became an actress, fashion model and appeared in films in Germany, Austria and Italy. While in Munich she met and married American actor Frederick Tully and moved to the United States. Soon after, the couple had a son, Patrick, a mixed-race child.

Tully decided to complete her degrees, including a Doctorate of Humanistic Studies, and served as an associate professor at SUNY, Empire State College in Albany, New York, before retiring in 2011.

The police claimed in 2019 that the six couples who had “adopted” the six children had paid money for them but did not complete legal formalities for adoption. It was in 2020, when five of the six children were legally adopted by five couples after a go-ahead from the court.

A couple from Mumbai central suburbs awaits reunion with their “adopted son”, now 11 years old, who was “rescued” by the police in 2019 after he stayed with the couple for seven years. The boy is one of the six children whom the police have claimed was trafficked by members of an alleged illegal adoption racket.

The couple’s plea, moved before the city civil court, seeking to legally adopt the boy, was not heard for the last few months as the court which was assigned the case was vacant. The plea, filed under the Guardians and Wards Act, is now likely to be heard on Saturday.

The police claimed in 2019 that the six couples who had “adopted” the six children – all boys then aged between 18 months and seven years – had paid money for them but did not complete legal formalities for adoption.

It was in 2020, when five of the six children — all belonging to different biological mothers — were legally adopted by five couples after a go-ahead from the court.

By Minyvonne Burke

An ordained elder at a California megachurch was arrested along with her parents in connection with the death of her 11-year-old adopted daughter.

Leticia McCormack, 49, was arrested Monday on a charge of murder, three counts of torture and three counts of willful cruelty to a child in the death of Arabella McCormack, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a news release Tuesday.

Leticia McCormack's father, Stanley Tom, 75, was arrested on the same charges. Her mother, Adella Tom, 70, was charged only with torture and willful cruelty to a child.

Authorities began their investigation Aug. 30 after deputies were called to a home in Spring Valley for a report of a child in distress. Arabella was found at the home and rushed to the hospital, where she died.

New Delhi, Nov 9 (UNI) Known for

upholding constitutional rights and freedom

of speech and expression, and upholds the

rights of the LGBT class, CJI-Designate

Justice Dr Dhananjaya Yeshwant

During his career, the new Chief Justice of India has been part of several constitution benches & delivered landmark judgments in high-profile cases, like Ayodhya land title dispute.

New Delhi: Whether he concurs or dissents, either way, his judgments evoke a keen interest. His verdicts are an assertion of constitutional principles — stressing on acceptance of diversity and inclusivity — and speak of him as a true liberal who is extremely sensitive and empathetic towards marginalised sections of society.

However, at the same time, he is equally conscious of maintaining judicial decorum and refrains from breaching the “lakshman rekha” (a strict boundary never to be crossed) when it comes to deciding on policy matters or development projects. Here he chooses to indulge in a deliberative process with the executive, nudging and not directing it to follow judicial orders.

This is how the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, is defined by his college mates, law teachers, and bar as well as bench colleagues.

Sworn in Wednesday by President Droupadi Murmu, Chandrachud, who will turn 63 on 11 November, will have a two-year term in the CJI’s office. Not only will he have the longest tenure for a CJI in a while, he will also be the youngest one in office in the past 10 years.