Anyone venturing into the international adoption world this week, even if putting only a toe into the territory, will have heard about China's new adoption rules that will go into effect on 1 May 2007. According to reports, soon to be taken off the list of possible adoptive parents are singles, the disabled, those on anti-depressant meds, the very chubby, the not-rich-enough, and more.

The yack-yack on groups and forums is a back-and-forth... more

For those who have adopted internationally or are now dealing with agencies in your process, the deadling for the "Public Comment Period on US Adoption Agencies" in advance of implementation of the Hague is January 31, 2007. That being just a few weeks from now, I thought I'd post a reminder so anyone with thoughts can get them down and heard.

Here's the link to this:

PUBLIC COMMENT NOTICE

PURPOSE: This notice announces a public... more

News regarding adoption in Guatemala is making it all over the world these days. This story came to me via Pakistan, and although it's from a couple of weeks back, the fact that it's getting global coverage should be enough to have anyone involved in adoptions from the country paying close attention.

The United States threatened to suspend adoptions from Guatemala unless the country enforces an international treaty meant to guard against child trafficking.... more

An article from the Wall Street Journal is bringing attention to potential changes in the way international adoptions will soon be happening in the USA.

Apparently, the US is close to implementing the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. With the State Department now starting the application process for adoption professionals to gain accreditation, it looks like ratification will happen sometime next year. (There was a post on a group saying that the... more

There's no shortage of adoption awareness this November. Anyone not aware that adoptions happen is either under the age of eighteen-months, deep into a long-term vegetative state, or ... well, there is no or. It's either one or the other of those simple scenarios. Thanks to the global pap monster, adoption is the easy-topic-to-form-uneducated-opinions-about du jour, the half-digested flavor-of-the-month, the jump-on-the-irresponsible-and-oh-so-self-rightous band wagon.

Yes. We're aware of adoption. We're all aware of adoption.

That... more

This morning I received a response to my post from last Saturday about an article called, 'Baby Hotel: The Gateway to Guatemalan Adoption'.

The mail is from the author of the piece, Jacob Wheeler, and I'm quoting it in its entirety, as the writer claims to welcome dialog:

First of all, I want to thank you for reading my article on WorldPress.org about Guatemalan adoption and the Baby Hotel. And I also want to thank you for writing me or posting online with your reactions and comments... more

A report out of Kenya this morning indicates that the Hague may be ratified there by the end of the year.

The Government will establish a central body to handle child adoption. Vice-President, Mr Moody Awori, said many committees that deal with adoption were inefficient, adding that the process was open to abuse.

Awori said budgetary allocations and legal requirements for adoption of children, especially from other nations, should... more

Prejudice runs deep in Singapore, and this culturally accepted ignorance has an effect on adoption issues as well as all the other aspects of life.

Single women, yes.

Single men, no.

This is the strict rule Ms Alice Kaveree of Lotus Child Adoption Agency International sets for herself.

Her agency, which handles adoptions in Asia, has seen more local singles enquiring about adoption over the last year.

She said: 'I... more

Continuing on the theme of adoption in Singapore ... Like everywhere, celebrity adoptions are big news in Singapore, as well, and the role models there give a slant quite different from Angelina Jolies':

... 'Times have changed, people are more open, the world is getting smaller.'

But to Diana, the stigma is still strong in... more

We're off to Singapore in a few weeks, so news from there is catching my eye. And, my goodness, for somewhere so progressive, they sure can be backward! Or is it just different?

This Singaporean adoption community speaks a language that many in the US would find difficult to comprehend, even when the conversations are conducted in English.

This story for example, titled, "Local couples engaging surrogate mothers in China may face problems bringing... more