An adoption tale: Uncovering a lifelong secret

In the post-war years, social mores forced more than three million unwed mothers into what has been characterized as an adoption industry. Correspondent Rita Braver talks with two families who, late in life, discovered their shared connection owing to a young woman having been coerced into giving up her baby; and with Gabrielle Glaser, author of "American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption."

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Mumbai: Bombay high court on Thursday rejected a couple’s petition to restore to them custody of their adopted 2-year-old

daughter from the state’s child welfare committee’s (CWC) custody. The HC rejected the couple’s contention that the toddler

was taken away illegally and said it was in the “best interest of the child” that she continue to be in custody of CWC which has

placed in care of a trust that runs an adoption agency.

The childless couple said they had adopted a newborn from a single woman under provision of Hindu Adoption and

Married and un-married people cannot be treated as a class apart, particularly when inter-country or in-country adoptions are permitted under the gazetted Indian Adoption Regulations

The ministry of home affairs’ March 4 notification has created a dilemma for non-resident Indians hoping to become parents through adoption or surrogacy due to disparity in Indian laws.

NRIs have been equated to overseas citizens of India (OCIs) in matters of inter-country adoption. Gazetted Indian Adoption Regulations, 2017 (AR) treat NRIs at par with resident Indians when it comes to adopting an Indian citizen. Despite the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 proposing to allow surrogacy for OCIs, the March 4 notification makes no mention of the same.

Our constitution does not allow dual citizenship. Upon voluntary acquisition of the citizenship of another country, a person ceases to be an Indian citizen. A child born to foreign citizens of Indian origin cannot become a citizen of India, as neither parent is an Indian national. A new category of citizenship, OCI, was created in 2005, which gave overseas citizens limited privileges and no rights. The March 4 notification defines an OCI as a foreign national holding the passport of a foreign country and who is not a citizen of India.

Both the constitution and Citizenship Act (CA), categorically prohibit dual citizenship. CA specifically prohibits OCIs from having political and other rights. They have, however, been granted multiple entry life-long visa facility for visiting India for any purpose at any time. They are also exempted from registering with the Foreigners’ Registration Office or police authorities, for any length of stay in India and are entitled to benefits notified under CA by the Centre from time to time.

Married and un-married people cannot be treated as a class apart, particularly when inter-country or in-country adoptions are permitted under the gazetted Indian Adoption Regulations

The ministry of home affairs’ March 4 notification has created a dilemma for non-resident Indians hoping to become parents through adoption or surrogacy due to disparity in Indian laws.

NRIs have been equated to overseas citizens of India (OCIs) in matters of inter-country adoption. Gazetted Indian Adoption Regulations, 2017 (AR) treat NRIs at par with resident Indians when it comes to adopting an Indian citizen. Despite the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 proposing to allow surrogacy for OCIs, the March 4 notification makes no mention of the same.

Our constitution does not allow dual citizenship. Upon voluntary acquisition of the citizenship of another country, a person ceases to be an Indian citizen. A child born to foreign citizens of Indian origin cannot become a citizen of India, as neither parent is an Indian national. A new category of citizenship, OCI, was created in 2005, which gave overseas citizens limited privileges and no rights. The March 4 notification defines an OCI as a foreign national holding the passport of a foreign country and who is not a citizen of India.

Both the constitution and Citizenship Act (CA), categorically prohibit dual citizenship. CA specifically prohibits OCIs from having political and other rights. They have, however, been granted multiple entry life-long visa facility for visiting India for any purpose at any time. They are also exempted from registering with the Foreigners’ Registration Office or police authorities, for any length of stay in India and are entitled to benefits notified under CA by the Centre from time to time.

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Arizona Official Adoption Fraud FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2019, file photo, then-Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen, right, and his attorney, Kurt Altman, leave a court hearing in Phoenix. Petersen, a former Phoenix politician already in prison on a six-year sentence for operating an illegal adoption scheme involving women from the Marshall Islands, was ordered Friday, March 19, 2021, to serve another five years behind bars for defrauding Arizona’s Medicaid system in a scam to get taxpayer-funded health coverage for the birth mothers, even though he knew they didn’t live in the state. (AP Photo/Jacques Billeaud, File) (Jacques Billeaud)

PHOENIX — (AP) — A former Phoenix politician already in prison on a six-year sentence for operating an illegal adoption scheme involving women from the Marshall Islands was ordered to serve another five years behind bars for defrauding Arizona’s Medicaid system in a scam to get taxpayer-funded health coverage for the birth mothers, even though he knew they didn’t live in the state.

Paul Petersen, a Republican who was Maricopa County’s elected assessor for six years and worked as an adoption attorney, on Friday received the second of three sentences stemming from the adoption scheme. His five-year Arizona punishment is to be served after he completes his six-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle people in Arkansas.

Petersen was dressed in an orange prison suit in the Phoenix courtroom where he offered apologies and cried as he described hurting his clients, former co-workers and his own family through his practices. “I have no one to blame but myself,” Petersen said.

Authorities have said Petersen illegally paid women from the Pacific island nation to give up their babies in at least 70 adoption cases in Arizona, Arkansas and Utah. Citizens of the Marshall Islands have been prohibited from traveling to the United States for adoption purposes since 2003.

I have two children, a son and a daughter. Due to circumstances I gave my daughter up for adoption immediately after her birth. This daughter has tracked me down and I have had very good contact with her for many years. I want to inherit both my children. Is this possible and how exactly does this work? Do I need a will for this?

Your daughter is no longer legally your 'own' child due to the adoption. By law, children who have a family relationship with the parents inherit; so your son but not your daughter. Because of adoption, the family-law ties with the biological family are broken. As a result, your daughter has legally become the child of her adoptive parents. If you want her to be inherited, you will therefore have to have a will drawn up in which you designate your daughter as heir as well as your son.

This also affects the inheritance tax. Because she is no longer your 'own' child, according to the Inheritance Act, the limited exemption applies to her as standard (2021: € 2,244) and she will also have to pay the high rate of 30% from third parties on the taxed part of the inheritance.

However, there is experience with a comparable situation in which, applying the hardship clause, the State Secretary of Finance still treats an adopted child as the 'own' child of the mother who gave up the child. In that case, the normal exemption for children applies (€ 21,282 in 2021) and the rate of 10%. In this case, incidentally, there is still talk of inheritance tax; nowadays this is called inheritance tax. If you do indeed appoint your daughter as heir, it is therefore worth trying for her to invoke the hardship clause in the inheritance tax return after your death.

NB The said decision of the State Secretary is not legally binding. However, according to the principle of equality, equal cases must be treated equally. In other words: if the situation is the same / comparable to the stated situation, the State Secretary is obliged to do so.

A 9-year-old girl who fell down the stairs and then had to go to hospital seriously injured, possibly lives in an unsafe environment. The police would like to know if this is the case and will therefore investigate the incident. This is reported by the Telegraaf.

The girl is in a critical condition in hospital, police said. She fell down a staircase in a Rotterdam house on the Roestmos.

By: Nationale Zorggids

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'I recently celebrated my 40th anniversary at Terre des Hommes. I had not realized that time had passed so quickly. I once started working as a project assistant, when Terre des Hommes focused mainly on emergency aid. After a year or two, I visited a project for the first time, where I met the children we work with. That was when my work really took on meaning.

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I am now a director and I work a lot in the office again. I am involved in fundraising, lobbying and processes. Important, but I prefer to work with the children who are involved. Of course I sometimes get emotional. Especially when I visit one of the ten brothels in Bangladesh. Many young girls there have followed in their mother's footsteps. It touches me when I see how responsible they feel to help make money too.

For example, I once met a girl of about 8 years old, Rosy. Terre des Hommes has set up schools for these children, because society does not accept them in mainstream schools. After a while Rosy was allowed to go to a 'normal' school. I visited her and asked how she was doing. She said: “I was especially curious about the other girls, how they think and what they talk about. I was surprised to find that they are just like me: they just want to play and have fun. ”

The situation of children in the brothels is dire. I usually bottle up my emotions. But doing nothing is not an option. And if you have been educated yourself, you have a responsibility to help others who have not had that privilege. So I just try to do my job the best I can. It helps to see the great results. For example, I have seen the children in brothels grow into independent, proud women. Some were even able to free their mother from the brothel. Hence my mantra is: give all children a chance, regardless of origin, so that they can realize their potential.

Adoption-Related Organizations

Adoptee Rights Campaign (NAAE Co-Lead)

Holt International (NAAE Co-Lead)

Adoptee Rights Law Center (NAAE member)

Adoptees for Justice (NAAE member)