PLATTSBURGH — Maria D. Holderman received a perfect score shortly after her December birth in 1967 Dragasani, Romania.

This seemingly routine assessment of an infant made all the difference in her life, even in her very living.

In her new Adelaide Books release, “Children of the Decree: A Journalist’s Battle to Save Romanian Orphans and Herself,” the Keeseville resident’s memoir time travels between her selves in her country of origin and the U.S.A. that offered her refuge from dangerous times in Romania.

From 1997 to 2001, Holderman was the “Diane Sawyer of Romania” (pen name Dana Achim.)

Before leaving her native country for the United States on a one-way ticket, she was a bestselling author and an investigative reporter for the National Daily in Bucharest.

A true fiery soul has passed away.

Most of us knew Ole Bergmann as a warm-hearted, humorous and utterly wise man. There was not much Ole did not know about.

He worked in adoption for more than 35 years and was for a number of years director of DanAdopt, and until he passed away, he was secretary of the Nordic umbrella organization Nordic Adoption Council. Ole fought for what he loved until the day he died.

Ole was well-liked by everyone. He was a true Nordic voice. He could talk to everyone, no matter where they came from, yes he could even sing in Finnish.

His sudden death has shocked all colleagues both here at home and in the Nordics, and he leaves a huge void. His commitment to adoption was incomparable.

Boudewijn does not hesitate for a moment when his partner Amanda joins the Sri Lanka DNA team a few months after the birth of their daughter Tess. “DNA offers hope, also for Amanda and me. Maybe one day she will find biological family.”

In the beginning, in addition to his full-time job as director, Boudewijn mainly provided assistance for Sri Lanka DNA. He soon becomes more involved. On the ferry to Ameland – on his way to Wendy – he writes the policy plan for the foundation. He then joins the board.

Boudewijn knows what it is like to long for your child. Due to a divorce, he only sees his eldest son from another relationship for one weekend every fortnight. His second child, a daughter from a subsequent relationship, dies in the womb during pregnancy. “Having to miss a child, I feel that in my whole body every day.”

Before Boudewijn has his eldest son, he is about to adopt a child. In retrospect, he is glad that things turned out differently. He doesn't think adoption is the best solution. “I think you can facilitate families much better on the spot.”

That is why he now wants to do everything in his power to reunite mothers in Sri Lanka who have given up a child with their child through DNA testing. And a little fast, because those mothers are getting older. A biological bond is unique, he thinks. “We see it ourselves with Tess; that smile is mine, that frown is yours. The things you pass on, your qualities, that is a mirror of yourself.”

Fatmeh (24) was born in Bethlehem. When her biological parents find out that she has Epidermolysis Bullosa (also known as butterfly disease) , they give her up for adoption to Dutch foster parents.

“I used to think: why did my parents drop me in a children's hospital. But afterwards I am very grateful to them for that," says Fatmeh in Je Zal Het Maar Hebbben .

BANDAGED FROM HEAD TO TOE

“My biological parents saw that something was wrong and they didn't know what to do with it,” says Fatmeh. “Then they asked another organization if they could take care of me.” When she was almost two years old, a Dutch couple took her into their family.

Due to her illness, Fatmeh is deficient in proteins. This makes her skin extremely vulnerable and open wounds can arise out of nowhere. She has to be bandaged from head to toe every day to prevent infections, with the only exceptions being her neck and head.

SAN FRANCISCO — Angie Aquino-Sales was at work at a medical device company in the East Bay on the morning of March 2, 2020, when she got the news that her 20-year-old son, Jaxon Sales, was dead. She collapsed on the floor and started screaming, then composed herself enough to call her husband, Jim. They raced home. More than 30 relatives gathered over the course of the day, filled with grief and questions.

In the two years since, the Sales family has been searching for answers about what happened to Jaxon. In his official report, Michael Suchovicki, an investigator with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, ruled Jaxon’s death a “probable drug-related overdose.” The toxicology report stated that gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a substance commonly known as a date rape drug but sometimes used recreationally, was in Jaxon’s system. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the San Francisco Police Department said that it “conducted an investigation and did not find evidence of foul play.” Police ruled Jaxon’s death as accidental and closed the case.

So Angie, Jim, and other relatives have dug into the matter on their own, seeking clarity that they say authorities have been unable to provide. Jaxon was found dead in a San Francisco luxury high-rise apartment of a 41-year-old white man who had hosted a gathering the night before. In an officer’s bodycam footage at the scene, the man tells police that Jaxon had spent the night, but when the man began getting ready for work around 7:30 a.m., Jaxon wasn’t breathing, so he called 911. The man, who didn’t respond to an interview request for this story, says he didn’t see Jaxon consume any intoxicants other than a vape pen, according to the footage. Jaxon’s friends told BuzzFeed News that they had never known him to take GHB.

Angie said that when she contacted the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (SF OCME) to ask how Jaxon’s death could be ruled accidental, an assistant medical examiner told her, “The gay community uses GHB.” Jaxon’s uncle Phil Aquino and cousin Izzy Aquino said that when they went to the medical examiner’s office to retrieve his belongings, another member of the medical examiner’s office told them, “The community parties, and it often results in overdoses.”

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, David Serrano Sewell, chief operating officer of the medical examiner's office, described the investigation as "thorough" and "consistent with national standards and industry best practices," and said that the agency "does not tolerate discrimination in our office or our work."

A member of Congress from North Carolina has called on the Biden administration to expedite the adoption process for Ukrainian children. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Deborah Ross urged the federal government to expand and streamline the adoption process. “We must take concrete steps to bring orphans in critical danger to safety in our country,” the Wake County Democrat wrote. “Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has created a dire humanitarian crisis, leading millions of people to flee their homes,” Ross said. “However, children without families have been left behind with no means to evacuate Ukraine’s war-torn cities, making them particularly vulnerable to the resource constraints and violence rampant throughout Ukraine.” She added Russian advances could block adopted children from coming to the United States, noting that President Vladimir Putin banned American adoptions from Russia nearly a decade ago. The call for an expedited process came as Ukraine fights to halt an invasion by Russian forces. Hundreds of Ukrainian people have been killed by Russian bombs, while millions have hidden in underground shelters or fled the nation, the Associated Press reported.

In the letter, Ross urged the federal government to appeal to the Ukrainian government and gain permission for the U.S. embassy in Warsaw, Poland, to issue expedited visas for Ukrainian children already in the adoption process with U.S. families. Since the war began, more than 2 million people have fled to Poland, which borders parts of western Ukraine, according to the AP. Ross said the federal government should also work with Ukraine to allow families in the adoption process to attend court at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C., instead of in Ukraine. She added that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services should work with the State Department to “streamline humanitarian parole applications in conjunction with normal visa-issuing procedures.” “To be clear, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security should by no means compromise vetting standards for organizations that work with orphans or prospective parents in the interest of moving children out of Ukraine quickly,” Ross said. “I ask that the federal government maintain all necessary protocols to ensure unaccompanied children do not face trafficking, exploitation, or abuse.” The Friday letter came nearly a week after Ross shared concerns about the safety of orphans stranded by the war. “With everything going on, we really have to highlight this and show that we can make a difference in these children’s lives,” she told MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin. “There are loving families in the United States who are ready to welcome them.”

The Michigan Supreme Court will hear a challenge that could upend a law that allows birth parents to anonymously drop off newborns at a hospital, shelter, fire department, or other safe space.

The case deals with a complex set of facts that revolve around a couple’s troubled relationship, divorce and her decision to surrender the infant for adoption without naming her ex-husband as the father.

Much of the confusion stems from the fact that there were two separate cases dealing with the divorce and custody that proceeded simultaneously in two counties. The result was a court in Ottawa County granting custody to the ex-husband as a judge in Kalamazoo County terminated his parental rights.

That was a surprise to Peter Kruithoff, the ex-husband, who did not find out his parental rights had been terminated until after the child had been placed with a family.

“We’re all entitled to due process and having a child and raising a child is a fundamental constitutional right,” said his attorney, Michael Villar.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has published the first tranche of written evidence it has received as part of its inquiry into the adoption of children of unmarried women between 1949 and 1976. The submissions include a large number of personal testimonies from mothers who were separated from their children, and people who were separated from their mothers as babies.

Inquiry: The right to family life: adoption of children of unmarried women 1949-1976

Joint Committee Human Rights

The testimonies reveal the societal and institutional pressures that led to unmarried mothers feeling they had no choice but for their baby to be adopted, and in many cases being given no option at all. They reveal a pervasive sense of shame and judgement towards unmarried mothers that led to pregnant women and girls being hidden or sent away and an air of secrecy for many years afterwards. This extended to the standard of treatment experienced during and after the birth, and has left a lasting impact. People who were adopted described the legacy of not knowing their family history, particularly for health issues.

A central aim of the inquiry is to listen to those affected by adoption practices during this time. As part of this the Joint Committee is holding a round-table event where members of the public can relate their experiences. Further information about how to take part can be found here.

Liz Harvie was 16 years old when she discovered her name was actually Claire Watts.

Sitting on the sofa of her childhood home, on a tree-lined street in a Birmingham suburb, she had just been given a sheet of paper containing the first chapter of her life.

The document said “Claire”, a “compact baby” with a “pale complexion” and “light auburn hair”, had been born at a Northampton hospital in January 1974 and then put up for adoption.

It also included descriptions of her birth parents: Yvonne, a “neat”, “articulate” and “quite attractive” telephonist who liked swimming, reading and knitting, and Andrew, a “well-built” wireless operator who liked rugby and tropical fish.

“It was mind-blowing,” said Harvie, now 48. “I was reading about a different person born in a different part of the country. Technically, it was me.”

The Bombay High Court said that the adopted child will take the caste of single mother and authorities cannot insist on the caste certificate of father.

The Bombay High Court has directed the administration to issue a caste certificate to the adopted son of a single mother, assigning him the same caste as her.

The woman had adopted a boy from an orphanage in the Tardeo area of Mumbai. At the time of adoption, the 5-year-old boy was called Pappu and the identity of his biological parents was not known. According to procedure, the woman had applied for registration of birth in the record of the Municipal Corporation and the certificate was issued in 2010 which showed the woman as the mother.

Since the woman was from “Hindu Mahyavanshi” caste, which is a scheduled caste, she applied for issuance of boy’s caste certificate to the deputy district collector. However, the authority, in 2016 rejected the application on the grounds that documents of the caste of the boy’s father were not submitted and so the boy was not entitled to get a caste certificate.

Aggrieved by the order, she approached the District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee in Mumbai City, which dismissed the appeal in 2017 and confirmed the order passed by the deputy district collector.