Liberian adoptions are taking a hit. Talk of trafficking is coming up, and that can stop legitimate adoptions in their tracks.

At the same time the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is reporting terrible conditions in orphanages. In the same article they are quoted thusly:

UNMIL also denounced harsh and unsanitary conditions in many orphanages, and said some are operating illegally. The Liberian government has acknowledged problems and said some children's homes could be shut down.

China is in the news, too:

The Chinese government has told Washington that an investigation found no children involved in a recent baby-trafficking case were adopted by American families ...

Chinese officials have refused to release any details of where the babies in the Hengyang case went, and the court ordered lawyers not to talk about it publicly.

Thousands of babies are abandoned every year in China. Many are girls given up by couples who, bound by rules that limit most urban families to one child, want to try to have a son. Others are left at orphanages or by the roadside by unmarried mothers or poor families.

But the country also has a thriving trade in babies that are stolen or bought from poor families and then sold to couples who want another child, a servant or a future bride for a son.

And, on the it's-way-not-important side...

Rumored to be considering adoption now: Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony. In usual media-speak, uninformed and with no clue what words actually convey something close to true meaning, one report says: ...(Lopez) is desperate for a child of her own but is reportedly thinking about adopting on if she can't conceive."

And the adoption world's favorite whipping post, Angelina Jolie, may be taking steps to put her story to the world. Apparently, she is planning to write her memoirs. A 'source' is quoted as sayng: She's writing about her experiences adopting children and becoming a new mom ... she's going to include stories about the orphans she's met, and she's hoping it will encourage people to adopt and help others to understand why she travels and is so active as a goodwill ambassador."

Good for her.