In most places in India, a girl is considered a burden even before she can decide her role in society. She’s seen as a heavy ‘responsibility’, restricted by society’s dogmatic thinking. But for 42-year-old Amita Marathe, her adopted daughter, Advaita, is the light of her life.

Amita did not want to be bound by marriage but always wanted a child of her own, which is why she decided to adopt a baby girl.

“My parents and sister stood like a rock throughout the process,” Amita told us.

Coming from a society where child adoption and being a single woman after a certain age was frowned upon, she was surprised when her parents supported and even respected her decision. They were initially worried about how Amita could balance a child along with her career, and to some extent, she echoed these concerns as well.

However, she took the plunge, and in 2012, registered with the Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) at Sofosh. It stands for Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospitals, a child care centre in Pune.

Finally together, 20 years after their adoption

They are biological sisters. Adopted in Sri Lanka in 1983, they grew up about thirty kilometers from each other between Vaud and Valais without ever meeting before adulthood. Today, they are trying to make up for lost time.

There was only 34 kilometers between their homes. A half hour drive (when traffic conditions are good) between Vaud and Valais. An insignificant distance, not enough to whip a cat, two sisters who would live at such a distance would have no problem to see each other regularly.

Melanie and Ludivine, 37 and 43, are sisters but have never met before adulthood. The youngest lived in Jongny, the eldest in Monthey, but they waited twenty-two years before meeting in Vevey.

Originally from Sri Lanka, the two women were adopted by two Swiss couples who did not know each other. Melanie did not know she had a sister living so close to her. Ludivine knew about it, she even tried to meet her youngest, in vain. Years of complicity, affection and sharing that are sorely lacking today in the counter of their lives.

Board of Directors

Cherish Bolton (Co-President) is an intercountry adoptee from India. She is a historian who researches the legal and social status of vulnerable children in India. She has an MA in history and is completing her doctorate.

Chantal Rich (Co-President) is an intercountry adoptive parent (DRC) and domestic adoptee (USA). She is a licensed MSW and focuses on adoption and childhood trauma.

Nicki Clark Bradley (Vice President/Secretary) is an intercountry adoptive parent (Vietnam). The Baby Scoop Era impacted several members of her family, which drove her to work in adoption advocacy. She spent time on the Board of Ethica and founded Voices for Vietnam Adoption Integrity.

“If she does not want the child, she has the option to give the child in adoption as per the law under Juvenile Justice Act."

The Bombay High Court, though allowed a rape victim to terminate her pregnancy at her own risk, also reminded her that she has an option to give the child in adoption. A girl had approached the High Court and contended that her ex-lover on the pretext of marrying her sexually exploited her and thereby cheated her. She told that court that she does not want to carry the stigma of unwed mother during her entire life due to the act of the accused and thus want to abort the pregnancy,

which is more than 20 weeks now using the medical report, the bench comprising Justice PN Deshmukh and Justice Pushpa V. Ganediwala observed that her case falls within the criteria alaid down in section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. The Court said:

"In India a child to an unwed mother is taken as a social stigma of a serious nature and she does not want to carry such stigma for her entire life. In our

opinion, it would neither be beneficial for the petitioner not for the fetus in her womb. In the present social milieu in India, we can visualize the future complications she may have to face in her social and married life if she would be deprived of now to exercise her reproductive choice, which has its

Three United States senators have introduced a bipartisan bill to help make adopting affordable for families nationwide. U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Bob Casey (D-PA), and James Inhofe (R-OK) announced the Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act, whch will make the adoption tax credit full refundable. In a news release, Sen. Blunt said, “Over 100,000 children are waiting for adoption into a family who can give them the loving home they deserve. This bipartisan bill will restore the refundability portion of the tax credit to make adoption more affordable for hardworking families….”

The adoption tax credit was made permanent in the American Taxpayer Relief Act in January 2013. However, that law did not extend the refundability provisions that applied to the adoption tax credit in 2010 and 2011. The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act would restore the refundable portion of this critical support for families wishing to adopt.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, about one-third of all adopted children live in families with annual household incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty level. Despite the common misperception that only wealthy families adopt, nearly 46 percent of children adopted from foster care live in families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Many of these families’ income taxes are so low that they cannot benefit from the adoption tax credit at all unless it is refundable.

Sen. Casey added, “It is a common misconception that only wealthy families adopt…. This legislation is a commonsense approach to improve lower-income families’ ability to adopt and support children from foster care.”

For Oklahoma Sen. Inhofe, adoption hits close to home. He says, “My family knows firsthand the joys and blessings adoption brings. But adoption is not without its difficulties and, too often, can be a costly process. Making the adoption tax credit fully refundable will ease that financial burden so more families can choose to adopt and welcome children into their homes.”

North Georgia surrogate delivers sons for European gay couple on Fathers Day

06202019 DADS 1.jpg

Dan Sobovitz, left, and Greg Merly hold their sons Monday June, 17, 2019, in the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Women and Children's Pavilion. The couple had their children born through a surrogate in Northeast Georgia. - photo by Scott Rogers

Jeff Gill

Updated: June 19, 2019, 7:55 p.m.

EDUCATION IN THE LAND OF MISTER CHOCOMOUSSE

"Just on the day that the news about the" go back to your country "postcard came to the people of the Irish pub, we were once again confronted with racist reactions on the street in Aalst," says Vincent. “I was going to pick up my children from school and we are running through the day in the Lange Zoutstraat when an elderly lady looks at us from head to toe. "Isn't that terrible now," she says. My wife answered: "Excuse me!" She received the answer: "Those children don't belong here, they have to go back to their country," says Vincent. According to the couple, the former living room racism is now generally accepted on social media. "I thought it would be useful to take a look at some of the facts of the past nine months," writes Vincent in his letter. “In September 2018 the Pano report from Schild & Vrienden was published. The extreme right-wing club of Dries Van Langenhove, calling primarily online to take action against the multicultural society ... In the autumn of 2018, "Mister Chocomousse" from Ninove won a monster score during the municipal elections. Guy D’haeseleer succeeded in convincing a very large group of people that he could turn the tide with an anti-immigration policy, among other things. ”

BURGEMEESTER REFUSES TO CONDUCT THE TROLLEY

Mayor Christoph D’Haese (N-VA) is also mentioned in the letter: “The mayor of Aalst refused to condemn the racist float that took part during the Aalst carnival parade. It may cost the city its Unesco recognition. And why? For a few extra preference votes? Even under pressure from his own party chairman, he refused to reject this "satire." Because is that right? To laugh? You have to be able to put that into perspective, you hear. Well, racism is not relative and it has never been: it is absolute. It is there or it is not there, "write the parents. They do not understand that there is so much stupidity in the world. "Our children have not chosen to be adopted," write the parents. “In fact, no child chooses that! We have tons of respect and understanding for the courageous choice that the biological mother of our children has made and do our utmost to shower them with all the love of the world. We are just trying to be a happy family. Who can object to that? "

A federal investigation into the Missionaries of Charity congregation of Mother Teresa has been recommended by India’s Jharkhand state following allegations that nuns diverted funds for unspecified objectives.

The state government run by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has recommended the federal Home Ministry to conduct a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into foreign donations received and spent by Missionaries of Charity and all its subsidiaries, media reports said on June 19.

In the past 11 years, according to Hindi media, the five main subsidiaries of Missionaries of Charity have spent 9.27 billion rupees (US$154 million) on purposes other than those specified in donations, which is illegal according to Indian laws.

The five subsidiaries include both active and contemplative sections of Missionaries of Charity Brothers, Missionaries of Charity Sisters and Missionaries of Charity Fathers.

Hindu groups in Jharkhand have accused Christians of diverting overseas donations so that they can be used for converting socially poor Hindu Dalits and tribal people in villages.

Public Accounts Committee points to loopholes in institutes, find 75K such children wasting government money

Highlighting a major lapse, the state Legislature's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has pointed to how around 75,000 bogus or ineligible children were registered in child care institutions, leading to the state government's funds being siphoned off.

The committee has also pointed to lacunae in the functioning of these institutions, like children in need of care and protection not being segregated from juveniles in conflict with law lodged there. This is because these juvenile delinquents can influence other inmates and render them vulnerable to crimes like theft, drug use and sex abuse.

In its report on the General and Social Sector for the year ended March 2015, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pointed to deficiencies in the working of these bodies, which are meant to provide institutional care to children in need of care and protection.

"Between 2010 and 2015, a total of 95,000 children were taking benefit of these schemes in 1,153 child care institutions. During an inspection, it was found that a large number of children, who had homes of their own, had been admitted to these child care institutions. When the department examined every case during the inspection, it was found that only 17,000 of these children were found to be eligible for admissions. The other children were handed over to their parents. The department told the committee that at present, these child care institutions have around 21,000 children. This means, more than 75,000 bogus or ineligible children were registered here and crores of public money were siphoned off from the government on unnecessary expenses," the report said.