When Anna ten Have traveled to Brazil in 2016 to find the biological mother of her adopted son, she found herself embarking on a nearly impossible task. Mothers in Brazil yearn for contact with their 'missing' children, but money for DNA testing? There is none. Anna is now changing that. "What we have seen is heartbreaking."
 

Anna ten Have (71) is currently in Brazil for the third time. This time in Manaus, in the middle of the Amazon. She and a number of other volunteers are visiting all kinds of women there to take DNA tests. Her goal? To bring mothers into contact with their children, often adopted abroad. "A test like that costs 50 euros. But most people in poor cities simply cannot afford that."

Anna from Woerden discovered this in 2016. In the 1980s, she and her husband adopted two children from Brazil. Nine years ago, she went looking for the biological mother of the youngest, Alfredo.

"We were approached by a Brazilian television program, similar to the Dutch Spoorloos," says Anna. "There were all kinds of women who signed up for the program and thought they were Alfredo's mother. Then DNA was taken from them."

Adoption plans for couples or single people over 60 are thus halted.

An earlier version of the story stated that adoptions have been suspended from a number of countries, following several revelations. It is true that Bufdir recommended a temporary halt to all foreign adoptions pending the completion of the Investigation Committee 's work, as they believed that the risk of illegality was real. The Ministry of Children and Family Affairs chose not to follow the recommendation from Bufdir. Bufdir has since rejected most applications for renewed mediation permits, so that in practice there has been a halt to adoptions from a number of countries.

There has been a lot of debate about adoption from abroad.

Now, one of the three organizations that has been conducting adoption has decided to cease operations.

This is stated in a letter sent out by "Children of the World" to its applicants. The organization has received money from the authorities in 2025, pending clarification on whether they can continue with adoptions in the future, but:

Kalanguak Absalonsen was born in Greenland in 1971 and adopted a few years later by a Danish family without her mother's informed consent, cutting her off from her Inuit culture for more than 50 years.

Now she wants Denmark to compensate her for her wrongful adoption.

"My mother didn't know what it meant when she signed the paper, that she wouldn't be allowed to have any contact with me," the 53-year-old told AFP in her Copenhagen apartment.

In 1975, her mother was a young widow with five children, struggling to make ends meet in Greenland at a time when Denmark had a strategy of cultural assimilation for its former Arctic colony, today an autonomous territory.

Her mother's employer, a Dane, suggested she consider putting some of her offspring up for adoption.

Charity finds ‘inhumane’ system is forcing women to defend themselves in court, sometimes from their hospital beds, while in fear of having their newborn child taken from them

Ella* gave birth to her daughter in a London hospital last week. Days later, still in the same busy ­hospital, she appeared via a laptop in a court hearing, challenging an application for an emergency order by the council, which wants to take her baby into care.

“I’m not eating properly. I can’t sleep because I’m terrified. I just want to go home with my baby,” she told the Observer this weekend. “I don’t feel they are giving me a chance.”

The use of DNA tests, banned in France, sheds light on long-hidden abuses committed with impunity over several decades: illegal adoptions, false birth certificates, etc. "Libé" has collected the testimony of children adopted in murky conditions and of a mother forced to abandon her.

In the playground, she would cheerfully answer: "My skin color is because I go to Spain all summer. The sun loves me." The explanation suited her, she is so dark and matte, and her parents are as fair as wheat. But the year she turned 10, she overheard her grandfather mention her "adoption." The ground beneath her feet cracked. The information steeped in her stomach for a long time without a word - her mother "freezes" at any attempt to discuss it, her father hardly better. Today, at 56, Blandine still doesn't know the precise circumstances of her birth. Especially since legally... she was not adopted. According to the civil registry, she was born to the Vignolles couple on November 1, 1968, "exactly as if my adoptive mother had given birth to me." No trace of abandonment or birth under X. The copy of her full birth certificate reveals nothing. "I was white as a baby, my mixed-race origins only became visible later. Without that, I might never have known anything."

When her parents die, she rummages through their documents and finds a cardboard folder stuck in the house construction plans. On this letterhead, typewritten: "The baby you asked for and I promised you

Behind the Scenes Observations of the Child Welfare Apparatus:

1. Observation #1: Rigid Timelines Harm Families
   The ASFA clock doesn’t always reflect real-life complexities. FFPSA’s approach acknowledges that parents often need more time and resources to address systemic or personal challenges.
2. Observation #2: Funding Decides Policy
   When the federal government pays solely for foster care placements, that’s exactly what states will use. By paying for in-home parenting support and counseling, FFPSA shifts the paradigm.
3. Observation #3: Scrutiny Breeds Accountability
   As more eyes focus on CPS, prosecutors, and family courts, expect changes in how quickly agencies move to remove children. The question is whether that scrutiny will result in meaningful reform or superficial compliance.

By Samuel A. Lopez, USA Herald

[CALIFORNIA] – Samuel Lopez here, reporting for the USA Herald. I’ve seen firsthand how child protective policies can shape, uplift, or dismantle families in crisis. Today, I’m bringing you an in-depth legal analysis contrasting two major federal child welfare statutes: The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton, and the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), signed by President Donald Trump on February 9, 2018.

In light of President Trump’s re-election and his stated commitment to keeping families intact, scrutiny of ASFA is intensifying. Many argue that ASFA is inconsistent with modern societal values, particularly regarding parental rights. Below, I’ll explain why critics say it must be abolished or radically reworked, and how FFPSA’s family-centered approach offers a compelling alternative.

Le 24 janvier 2025
Chers amis,

J’ai l’honneur et le plaisir de vous présenter, en mon nom et celui des membres du Conseil d’Administration de notre Association, nos meilleurs vœux pour la nouvelle année 2025 ; qu’elle vous apporte, à vous et à vos proches, la santé, la réussite dans tous vos projets, tant personnels que professionnels, et tout le bonheur possible à partager avec tous ceux qui vous sont chers.

Pour la Famille Adoptive Française et les Nids de Paris, cette année 2025 sera très particulière. En effet, depuis 1946, nos Associations ont rencontré et soutenu des milliers de mères de naissance en demande et ont accompagné de plus de 8 500 enfants et leurs familles sur le chemin de l’adoption. Cet exploit a été réalisé grâce à l’impulsion et l’énergie déterminantes des membres fondateurs à l’origine et grâce à l’engagement des directrices et équipes de collaborateurs qui ont agi pendant toutes ces années pour écouter, accueillir et accompagner toutes ces mères et ces familles à un moment de leur histoire. Ce succès a également été possible grâce à toutes les contributions, petites et grandes, visibles ou méconnues, de centaines de bénévoles et de milliers de familles au fil de ces 80 ans d’actions, qui ont participé à l’aboutissement de toutes ces adoptions, qui ont organisé et accueilli toutes nos fêtes annuelles. C’est grâce à ces actions collectives, que nos œuvres d’adoption ont pu exister pendant autant de décennies et permettre à nos familles adoptives de se constituer. Qu’ils en soient toutes et tous largement remerciés. Nous pouvons tous être fiers d’avoir, d’une manière ou d’une autre, participé à cette très belle aventure et nous en réjouir.

Début 2025, nous sommes contraints de mettre un terme à cette magnifique aventure. Les évolutions de fond vécues par l’Adoption Internationale ces dernières décennies et plus récemment, la réforme de l’Adoption menée en France depuis 2000, ont profondément modifié l’environnement de notre action. Après maintes démarches et malgré toute la tristesse qu’une telle décision a provoquée, notre Conseil d’Administration a conclu que notre Association, en dépit de ses atouts, n’avait plus la possibilité d’agir dans ce contexte actuel.

Les prochains mois vont donc être consacrés à clore mais aussi à célébrer cette aventure, notamment à l’occasion de notre prochaine journée annuelle prévue le samedi 15 mars 2025, à l’espace Palissy, à Boulogne-Billancourt, durant laquelle se déroulera notre Assemblée Générale .
Les informations pratiques vous seront transmises prochainement et disponibles sur le site de l’Association.

Proposed Federal Mandate: Revisit and Reunify

I believe President Trump should issue an order requiring states to re-examine cases where parental rights were terminated under ASFA-driven mandates. If the underlying concerns can be resolved with targeted interventions, then reunification must be explored. This not only respects the constitutional rights of parents but also recognizes that children often fare better psychologically and emotionally when raised by their biological families—provided it’s safe.

What This Means for Families and the Future

With President Trump’s re-election, child protective agencies across the country must confront a growing demand for transparency, fairness, and “family first” strategies. Parents in crisis should no longer be penalized for issues that can be resolved with targeted help. The era of automatic TPR based solely on rigid timelines is nearing its end.

To dive deeper into the issues covered in this report, join me on my Patreon page, where I provide in-depth legal analysis on matters affecting Americans every day. I’m here to illuminate your understanding of the law, offering legal insights, strategies, and opinions drawn from over two decades of experience in the legal field. As a former senior paralegal and legal analyst for top-notch law firms, I’ve acquired advanced knowledge that has helped prominent lawyers win cases.

Behind the Scenes Observations of the Child Welfare Apparatus:

1. Observation #1: Rigid Timelines Harm Families
   The ASFA clock doesn’t always reflect real-life complexities. FFPSA’s approach acknowledges that parents often need more time and resources to address systemic or personal challenges.
2. Observation #2: Funding Decides Policy
   When the federal government pays solely for foster care placements, that’s exactly what states will use. By paying for in-home parenting support and counseling, FFPSA shifts the paradigm.
3. Observation #3: Scrutiny Breeds Accountability
   As more eyes focus on CPS, prosecutors, and family courts, expect changes in how quickly agencies move to remove children. The question is whether that scrutiny will result in meaningful reform or superficial compliance.

By Samuel A. Lopez, USA Herald

[CALIFORNIA] – Samuel Lopez here, reporting for the USA Herald. I’ve seen firsthand how child protective policies can shape, uplift, or dismantle families in crisis. Today, I’m bringing you an in-depth legal analysis contrasting two major federal child welfare statutes: The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton, and the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), signed by President Donald Trump on February 9, 2018.

In light of President Trump’s re-election and his stated commitment to keeping families intact, scrutiny of ASFA is intensifying. Many argue that ASFA is inconsistent with modern societal values, particularly regarding parental rights. Below, I’ll explain why critics say it must be abolished or radically reworked, and how FFPSA’s family-centered approach offers a compelling alternative.

Les hommes de la rue du Bac : la piste
d’un trafic d’enfants
Article réservé aux abonnés
Les hommes de la rue du Bacdossier

Des documents officiels issus des archives de la Charente-Maritime, que
révèle «Libération», attestent de graves manquements au sein d’un
organisme d’adoption français. Comme Inès Chatin, qui a dénoncé les
crimes sexuels d’une bande d’intellectuels parisiens, des enfants ont pu
être adoptés par des familles abusives. Ses avocats réclament une
commission indépendante.

Lettre d'alerte du directeur départemental de la santé envoyée au préfet de
Charente-Maritime, en juillet 1964. (Cyril Zannettacci/VU' pour Libération)
par Willy Le Devin
publié le 23 janvier 2025 à 7h31

Ce sont des documents qui éclairent d’un jour inquiétant les conditions d’adoption en
vigueur dans les années 60-70. Instantanés de la France d’après-guerre, et d’une
époque où la loi Veil légalisant l’interruption volontaire de grossesse n’était pas
encore promulguée, ils suggèrent l’existence d’un trafic d’enfants, qui a pu prospérer
au sein de l’un des plus grands organismes d’adoption habilités à l’époque, la
Famille adoptive française (FAF).

Consultés par Libération, ces documents officiels, rédigés par des préfets ou des
directeurs départementaux de la Santé, proviennent des archives départementales
de la Charente-Maritime, et accréditent, en outre, les craintes d’Inès Chatin, la
femme qui a dénoncé cet été dans notre journal les crimes sexuels que lui ont
infligés plusieurs figures intellectuelles françaises, parmi lesquelles l’écrivain Gabriel
Matzneff. Car avant de subir une multiplicité de violences abjectes de 4 à 13 ans, de
la part d’hommes proches de son père adoptif, le médecin Jean-François Lemaire,
celle-ci a été adoptée dans des conditions irrégulières en 1974. En effet, son dossier
comporte de nombreuses anomalies administratives, en plus d’examens médicaux
absents et d’actes formellement illégaux.