The National Rifle Association is pushing legislation to ban adoption agencies from asking potential parents if they have guns and ammunition in the home.
NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer said adoption agencies are violating gun-owners' rights by asking about firearms in an adoption form. She said any request about gun ownership from an agency connected with government was tantamount to establishing a gun registry.
"Gun registration is illegal in Florida," Hammer said. "An adoption agency has no right to subvert the privacy rights of gun owners."
The issue flared up in Brevard County where a gun-owning couple took umbrage at a request from the Children's Home Society that they disclose if they had firearms before adopting a child.
The couple complained to a lawyer, who called Hammer. She said it would be easier to change the law rather than sue.
A spokeswoman for the Children's Home Society, Liz Bruner, said the agency asks about guns because it is required to by the Department of Children & Families.
Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA, pictured) introduced legislation last Thursday that would prohibit states and child welfare agencies from restricting adoption or foster care placements based on the sexual orientation or marital status of potential parents.
Utah, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi all have laws that explicitly ban or restrict same-sex parent adoptions, but a dozen or so more states are considering or have considered similar laws.
The Every Child Deserves A Family Act [H.R 3827] would cut off federal funding for any entity, such as a state program or an agency, that receives federal assistance for adoption or foster care placements but does not comply with the nondiscrimination policies set forth in the legislation.Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA, pictured) introduced legislation last Thursday that... more
ogs have had their role in history and mythology, but what about the outragous superstitions behind the color black? The black dog has earned "omen" status though time and it's spreading to the animal shelters.ogs have had their role in history and mythology, but what about the outragous... more
The sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not play a significant role in the well being of their children, a new study contends.
The study, recently published in Adoption Quarterly, was written by Paige Averett and Blace Nalavany, assistant professors of social work at East Carolina University, and Scott Ryan, dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work. It compares the extent of emotional and behavioral problems of adopted children in the context of the sexual orientation of their adoptive parents.
While income and a history of abuse may affect a child’s behavior and welfare, the parents’ sexual orientation plays no part in the happiness of the child, according to the research.
“Sexual orientation did not matter,” Averett said. “Both sets of parents face a lot of the same struggles. If a child has a history of abuse, it makes the child’s behavior difficult regardless. Income factors into behavior and well-being but sexual orientation does not.”
The research was based on survey results from parents who adopted children through Florida’s public child welfare system and data from gay and lesbian couples throughout the United States. It included 155 gay and lesbian couples and 1,229 heterosexual couplesThe sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not play a significant role in the... more
Long before Angelina Jolie, Mia Farrow and Madonna made headlines with their adoptive families, 1920s star Josephine Baker tried to combat racism by adopting 12 children of various ethnic backgrounds from around the world. Today the members of her "rainbow tribe" are still searching for their identity.Long before Angelina Jolie, Mia Farrow and Madonna made headlines with their adoptive... more
Are animals sentient beings whose rights — especially those concerning
habitat and sustainability — should be protected by law and upheld in court?Are animals sentient beings whose rights — especially those concerning
habitat and... more
The thrill/terror of love and parenthood featuring:
We Chase Camels
Hadi is a young Bedouin Boy, born in a cave in Southern Arabia to a family of camel-herders. But his life is a balancing act between a traditional and modern world. He is a trained zoologist and yet very much a part of his tribe, herding camels and living a nomadic existence. He is torn between the two, acknowledging his father's urging to return to traditional ways yet seeing his future as part of a modern world as he prepares to go to university in the West. http://current.com/items/88833158_we-chase-camels.htm
In this case, a single father actually wins a round in family court. It's not over yet, for reasons I don't understand, but read the court's opinion here and maybe you can figure it out.
Shawn and Samantha lived together in the little Texas town of Granbury just southwest of Fort Worth. They weren't married, but they had a daughter, Kaylee in 2003. In late 2004, Samantha moved out of the house and within weeks was living with Darrell. A few months later, she announced that she was pregnant and intended to place the child for adoption. Shawn immediately told her that, if the child were his, he wanted custody and would not agree to any adoption.
Samantha learned of a couple, Travis and Sabra Hess, who lived in Boise, Idaho, who wanted to adopt. The Hesses were using the services of LDS (think "Latter Day Saints") Family Services, which coincidentally was one of the adoption agencies involved in the Utah case I blogged about earlier. Samantha spoke with LDS caseworker, Kimberly Sidwell and according to the court,
Sidwell met with Samantha two weeks before the baby was due to be born. At that time, Sidwell asked Samantha whether she knew the identity of the baby's father. Samantha told Sidwell that Shawn was the father and indicated he was not aware of her pregnancy. Sidwell asked for an address to contact Shawn, but Samantha said she did not know where he was. Samantha did, however, provide Sidwell with Shawn's date of birth and social security number. After the meeting, Samantha asked LDS if she could work with a different caseworker due to a “personality conflict” with Sidwell.
Samantha next met with Eric Larsen from LDS. Larsen also asked about the paternity of the baby, and Samantha told him she was fairly certain that Shawn was the father. Samantha also stated, however, there was a possibility that the father was Darrell. When Larsen asked where he could find Shawn, Samantha told him she thought he was either living in Dallas or going to school in Florida. After being asked multiple times how to contact him, Samantha finally admitted that Shawn lived in Granbury and gave Larsen a phone number for Shawn's mother, Sandra.
Both Sidwell and Larsen were informed by Shawn and his mother that Shawn had no intention of relinquishing his parental rights if the child were his. When Shawn and his mother found out what hospital Samantha was in, they both talked to a social worker there and told her Shawn would request a DNA test to determine paternity and assert his rights.
At that point, everyone involved in the case knew very well that Shawn refused to give up his parental rights. The sensible thing - the humane thing - to do would have been to perform genetic testing and, if Shawn were the father, turn the baby over to him. But that is not what happened.
In fact, Samantha, LDS Family Services, the Hesses and the hospital all worked hand in glove to keep the baby from Shawn. That included the hospital's designating Samantha a "no information" patient. That meant that the hospital could only release information about the baby to people Samantha approved. Needless to say, that did not include Shawn. Despite knowing of Shawn's intentions, the Hesses took the baby boy back to Idaho, Samantha signed a relinquishment of her parental rights and presumably, LDS got paid.
But Shawn was not deterred so easily. He filed the correct forms with the Texas Paternity Registry within the 30 days alotted him. He talked to several attorneys, contacted the FBI and even wrote a letter to the governor.In this case, a single father actually wins a round in family court. It's not over... more
Two brothers separated at birth have been reunited after they both ended up working at the same furniture removal company. Gary Nisbet, 36, and Randy Joubert, 35, discovered they were brothers after Randy started working with Gary at Dow Furniture Removals and customers always said they were brothers.
Turns out they had been separated 35 years ago when they were adopted as babies, however the resemblance between the two continued into adulthood: both are light-haired, wear glasses and have stocky builds. Their goatees and curled-brim baseball caps add to the effect.Two brothers separated at birth have been reunited after they both ended up working at... more
Some Chinese parents say their children were stolen for adoption. Each stolen child was worth $3000 in adoption fees.
The article states, "Since the early 1990s, more than 80,000 Chinese children have been adopted abroad, the majority to the United States."
"Our children were exported abroad like they were factory products," said Yang Libing, a migrant worker from Hunan province whose daughter was seized in 2005. He has since learned that she is in the United States.Some Chinese parents say their children were stolen for adoption. Each stolen child... more
A proposal to make preexisting health conditions irrelevant in the sale of insurance policies could help not just the seriously ill but also people who might consider themselves healthy, documents released Friday by a California-based advocacy group illustrate.
Health insurers have issued guidelines saying they could deny coverage to people suffering from such conditions as acne, hemorrhoids and bunions.
One big insurer refused to issue individual policies to police officers and firefighters, along with people in other hazardous occupations.
Some treated pregnancy or the intention to adopt as a reason for rejection.
As Congress and President Obama work on legislation to overhaul the nation's health-care system, one of their main objectives is to stop insurers from denying coverage on the basis of health status. Proposed legislation would prohibit insurers from denying coverage to individuals with preexisting conditions or charging them higher premiums because of their medical history -- practices known as medical underwriting.
Elton John won't be able to adopt a 14-month-old HIV-positive child from Ukraine because the pop star is too old and isn't married, the government said today.
Adoption and gay rights advocates expressed regret about the determination by Family, Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko, while a children's charity had reservations about John's weekend announcement that he and his male partner, David Furnish, wanted to adopt the boy.
John announced his desire after meeting the boy, named Lev, while touring an orphanage Saturday as part of an anti-Aids charity project.
"I don't know how we do that, but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home," John said.Elton John won't be able to adopt a 14-month-old HIV-positive child from Ukraine... more
Dr. Trayce Hansen, a clinical and forensic psychologist believes so. She says researchers have been leaving out some significant details regarding the outcome of children raised by gay parents.
Author, Dr. Trayce Hansen describes how "Pro-Homosexual" researchers give little mention to findings that might suggest gay parenting has any effect on the sexual orientation of children.
"Studies thus far find between 8% and 21% of homosexually parented children ultimately identify as non-heterosexual. For comparison purposes, approximately 2% of the general population are non-heterosexual. Therefore, if these percentages continue to hold true, children of homosexuals have a 4 to 10 times greater likelihood of developing a non-heterosexual preference than other children." Dr. Trayce Hansen's Writings, www.drtraycehansen.com/Pages/writings_prohomo.html (last visited Sep. 14, 2009).Dr. Trayce Hansen, a clinical and forensic psychologist believes so. She says... more
In the midst of an international children's charity, EveryChild, thinking that Elton John wishing to adopt a 14 month old baby was wrong, it appears the Ukranian government has said he's too old.
He was also said to be "unmarried" despite his civil partnership with David Furnish ""Foreign citizens who are single have no right to adopt children... and the age difference between the adopter and the child cannot be more than 45 years," said Yuriy Pavlenko, the family, youth and sports minister.
What do you think? Was Elton just jumping on the adopt a child bandwagon with other celebrities or would they have made a good home for the 14 month old boy, Lev?In the midst of an international children's charity, EveryChild, thinking that Elton... more
Over and Over we hear of “no funds available” yet if the dollars where truly accounted for, one would find just the Children alone bring in TRILLIONS of dollars.
Again, as I have said, as the REALITY goes (and there is even more)… :
1) First a Child’s name and address come up to Social Services. It could be by anyone, and more often by doctors these days....Over and Over we hear of “no funds available” yet if the dollars where truly... more
Police have accused Aimee Louise Sword of searching out the son she gave up for adoption a decade ago and raping him. She has been arraigned on three charges of criminal sexual misconduct. It's unclear whether the boy, a minor, knew she was his biological mother. Sword insists she is innocent.
The case has shocked authorities, and mental health experts say this is the worst-case scenario for the boy. Dr. Gerald Shiener, chief of Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit, told MyFox Detroit that he had never heard of a case like this:
Our first reaction to hearing about something like this is that this is every man's nightmare. It's an abomination. This could be his first sexual experience, and his first sexual experience could be something so conflicted, so unusual, so prohibited that it will stay with him for life.Police have accused Aimee Louise Sword of searching out the son she gave up for... more
Martin Narey, chief of Barnardo's, expressed his 'heretic' view
The children of bad parents should be taken away as babies and offered for adoption, the head of a leading charity has said.
Barnardo's chief Martin Narey said it is impossible to fix some families that are 'broken'.
He acknowledged that many in the social work establishment will see his views as 'illiberal heresy'.
Mr Narey's call revives the push for more adoptions launched by Tony Blair in his early years in power.
But his words were quickly dismissed by Children's Secretary Ed Balls, who said that rather than taking children away, their families should be helped by 'tough intervention projects'.
Mr Narey, 54, a former head of the prison service, spoke out in the aftermath of the shocking attack in Doncaster by two young brothers who came from a troubled home.Martin Narey, chief of Barnardo's, expressed his 'heretic' view
The children of bad... more
A 63-year-old woman from Britain is awaiting trial in North Carolina, accused of using three children as her slaves.
Mercedes Farquharso brought the three girls from England. One was her adopted daughter, the other two were taken off of the hands of their "struggling" mother.
Farquharso is accused of banning the girls from school and having friends. Not that they'd have had time for either as it's alleged that the woman forced them to work up to 20 hours a day.
If true, 'despicable' doesn't even begin to sum up this woman and her actions.A 63-year-old woman from Britain is awaiting trial in North Carolina, accused of using... more
Sarah Palin wanted to keep her teenage daughter's pregnancy a secret and adopt her baby, the child's father Levi Johnston alleged today - the latest in a series of spats between the 19-year-old former hockey star and the erstwhile vice presidential candidate.
Palin, who may have hoped her resignation as governor of Alaska would draw a line under the personal soap opera that marred her campaign for the vice-presidency, is accused by Johnston of "nagging" him and her then 17-year-old daughter Bristol, whom he dated for two and a half years, to give their baby up to her for adoption.
"Sarah told me she had a great idea: we would keep it a secret - nobody would know that Bristol was pregnant," he told Vanity Fair magazine.Sarah Palin wanted to keep her teenage daughter's pregnancy a secret and adopt her... more
The sanctity of the nuclear family apparently extends only to people who are not running for the Vice-Presidency.The sanctity of the nuclear family apparently extends only to people who are not... more
