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Guatemalan officials on Friday announced the resumption of international adoptions after a nearly two-year suspension prompted by the discovery that some babies were being sold.
A closer reading of an adoptions law promoted by Uruguay's gay rights groups suggests it might not enable adoptions by gay and lesbian couples after all.
A Florida appeals court is being urged to affirm a judge's ruling that the state's strict ban on adoptions by gay people is unconstitutional.
A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.
Jennifer and Todd Hemsley had to give up their child to save her.
The number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell 12 percent in the past year, reaching the lowest level since 1999 as some countries clamped down on the process and others battled with allegations of adoption fraud.
Solomon Henderson inherited just three things from his birth parents, who left him at an Ethiopian orphanage when he was 1 year old: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix and HIV.
The first federal survey of both men and women on adoption challenges some stereotypes and offers some surprising findings:
Advocates for gay and lesbian parents are denouncing Sen. John McCain, an adoptive father himself, for opposing adoptions by gays, which prompted his presidential campaign to clarify Tuesday that he does not seek a federal ban on the practice.
The review of 2,286 pending adoptions in Guatemala will take at least another month because many birth mothers have not been located, an official said Thursday.
Guatemala's attorney general said Wednesday he has annulled 15 pending adoptions to U.S. couples after finding evidence of fraud or other irregularities.
The sister of a Guatemalan congressman was charged Wednesday with running an illegal adoption ring after police found nine children in her home.
Vietnam has failed to police its adoption system, allowing corruption, fraud and baby-selling to flourish, the U.S. Embassy says in a new report obtained by The Associated Press.
China remains the country of choice for thousands of Americans seeking to adopt a child, but the time frame for new applications is now often triple what it was a few years ago and many families are enduring uncertain, emotionally draining waits.
The slowdown affecting adoptions from China coincides with unrelated complications in several other countries that have been major sources of adopted children for American parents. Some examples:
Two Guatemalan lawyers retained by an adoption agency that has sent scores of children to the U.S. have been charged with fraud and human trafficking, their attorneys said on Monday.
Guatemalan prosecutors have ruled out amnesty for birth mothers who used false identities to surrender their babies to an agency where 46 children being adopted by U.S. families were seized in a raid last August.
Luciany Ball's adoption file says she was born 14 months ago by Caesarean section to a single mother who gave her up so she could be raised by a loving family in a six-bedroom Indiana farmhouse.
Central Africa's Republic of Congo lifted a ban on foreign adoptions Thursday, three months after it was instituted amid an uproar over attempts by a French charity to fly a planeload of children out of Chad.
Two members of Guatemala's adoption board agreed to step down Wednesday, ending a legal battle to keep their posts and allowing the country's adoption reform measures to move forward.
Meghan Wall's marathon effort to start a family has come down to a sprint at the finish line.
Guatemalan legislators approved a new law Tuesday that tightens adoptions, while allowing pending cases — mostly involving U.S. couples — to go through without meeting stricter requirements.
Countries providing the most children adopted by Americans during the 2007 fiscal year, according to preliminary figures from the State Department. Figures from 2006 are in parentheses:
The number of foreign children adopted by Americans has dropped for the third year in a row, a consequence of tougher policies in the two countries — China and Russia — that over the past decade have supplied the most children to U.S. families.
Jeff and Diana Kerr fell in love with the Guatemalan baby girl the moment they saw her photograph. The Minnesota couple decorated her pink and white nursery with pictures of flowers and butterflies, but now they don't know if the 8-month-old will ever become their daughter.
Animal shelters feel economic pinchAnimals are the first to feel the pinch of a bad economy
Wild Horse Adoption in Meridian, MississippiA wild horse auction will be held by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. There are about 80 horses and some burros in need of adoption. Prices are expected to range from $25 to $125 per animal.
75 Dogs Dropped Off At Animal Shelter The Frederick County Animal Shelter is making a plea to Marylanders after 75 dogs were dropped off at the shelter.
Pet adoptions free Saturday for 10 familiesUp to 10 local families and up to 3,000 nationwide will be able to adopt a pet Saturday for no charge in a nationwide effort to boost the number of shelter animals that get new homes.
Michigan parents of 13 y.o. abandoned in Nebraska lose custody of 3 additional childrenThe parents of a 13 year old boy who was dropped off in Nebraska are now complaining they were railroaded into going through with his adoption.
South African survives exploding fridge attackIt's been suspiciously quiet of late on the murderous white goods front, but confirmation that your kitchen is still out to get you comes in the form of a chilling exploding fridge attack in South Africa.
To Adopt, Please Press HoldWow, I knew international adoptions had gotten harder but didn't realize they'd become difficult. This is heart-breaking
Editorial: Transracial Adoptions; Race should not be a determining factor in finding loving homes for children who need them.excerpt:"AREPORT FROM the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute does a good job of pointing out the deficiencies of the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA), the law governing transracial adoptions and foster care assignments.
Child Protection Services fails to protect, they commit more harm, in all states and countries, they need abolishedAt least some states in the US and in other countries, there is an Ombudsman for parents to seek help from.
Guatemalan Adoptions Suspended by Overseas CrackdownSince 2003, Guatemala has been attempting to upgrade its controversial intercountry adoption system, which has operated under a cloud of suspicion in recent years.
Volunteers Rescue Puppies After Van Crash On Wisconsin Highway - "Cats might have nine lives, but some puppies involved in a Wisconsin traffic crash this week have at least two."
Fewer foreign children adopted - USATODAY.comA decline in foreign adoptions since restrictions imposed by Russia and China is prompting greater interest in U.S.-born kids, including those in foster care.
From Banana Republic to Baby RepublicGuatemala could shut down its massive adoption industry.
Looking for Their Children's Birth MothersAdoptive parents are increasingly trying to pry openinternational adoptions by searching for the biological mothers of their children. But finding them can turn out to be the easy part.
Surge in Adoptions Raises Concern in EthiopiaEthiopia has become a hot spot for international adoption, but the sudden popularity comes with risks, officials say.
My First Lesson in MotherhoodHow would we manage her care? Yet how could we leave her behind?
A Chinese Orphan's Journey to a Jewish Rite of PassageHundreds of Chinese girls adopted by American families are ready to complete the rite of passage into Jewish womanhood.
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