From a reader:

Question: Hi, I was wondering, regarding international adoption - which countries allow one parent to have been (in the past) taking anti-depressant meds? I understand China does not allow this. Are all international options off limits to those that this applies?

The upcoming imposition of new adoption regulations in China, starting the first of May, that preclude anyone with a history of... more

I came across a story this morning from Guyana, that South American country that gained far too much notoriety from the People's Temple mass suicide years back but is little heard from now. The article is typical UNspeak gobbledegook ... teaching officials in developing nations to talk the talk ... that doesn't add up to anything of substance, no matter how many times it's read.

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in collaboration with the United Nations International... more

Continued from here where we've been underwhelmed by "facts" and UNICEF ....

Okay. I am NOT saying there have never been any corrupt dealings in any Nepali adoptions. Nepal, like most of our kids' birth countries functions on a level that is much less transparent than most would like ... as do all countries, for that matter. But when stories appear under headlines that shout, ... more

Continued from here where we were about to add two to two ...

Could it be that here is where the rubber meets the road?

As an international conference on adoption of children began in Kathmandu on Sunday, the U.N. children's wing UNICEF deplored what it called an ''unfortunate growth'' of an industry centering on adoption.

Profit,... more

Continued from here ...

Now, some of the questions that pop into my mind when reading the stories about Nepali adoption that are cropping up just about the time a conference on international adoption is to begin ... How does someone "pose as British parents wishing to adopt a Nepali child"? Did they show up at the "Child NGO Federation" complete with dossier, including a homestudy, police clearance and all other other documents... more

Is there anything suspect in the timing of a story coming out of Nepal that casts international adoption in a negative light coinciding with the first International Conference of Inter-Country Adoption in Kathmandu? Pardon my cynicism, but I can't help but notice the potential for not-so-hidden agendas in them thar Himalayas.

Was it coincidence that had reporter Thomas Bell writing a story for the Nepali Times that that starts out like this:

In... more

This came though from IAAP along with their latest listing of special needs kids from China, and I thought I should share it:

We know the desire of all families to get updated information on their children and to know where their dossier is in the approval process. We share that desire with you and pass along any information we receive to you as soon as we have it. However the CCAA is making it more difficult to receive any updates or other information about a specific case.

The CCAA recently stated the following:

1. They will not give any family an update on their child if the child's medical... more

There's a lot of news to start the new month off with, some of it coming through the Adoption Institute's monthly newsletter, which I strongly urge everyone with an interest in adoption to subscribe to. It's free and pops into your inbox with news, links, study results and on and on. Since it's coming up soon, I'll start with a press release about the American Adoption Congress's upcoming international... more

Continued from here ... Here's an article looking at new figures from India's National Family Health Survey that indicates nearly half of that country's children are malnourished.

With about 46 percent of children underweight _ a negligible improvement over the last survey, conducted in 1998-99 _ India is in the... more

A few bits of news have crossed my desk this morning that I feel I should pass along. First, from the US State Department, this notice that an adoption service provider in Guatemala is under investigation.

The Office of Children’s Issues has learned from official sources of the arrest of American adoption service facilitator Mary Bridget Bonn in Florida . It is our understanding that Ms. Bonn is charged with... more