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Livewi Internet Transforms Adoption Process



 
 
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Old May 23rd 04, 04:12 PM
wexwimpy
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Default Livewi Internet Transforms Adoption Process

Livewi Internet Transforms Adoption Process
Sat May 22,10:25 AM ET
By Sue Zeidler

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Web has made it much easier for people to
adopt children -- and for scam artists to prey on hopeful parents.

While adoption alters and hopefully enhances the lives of children and
families, it is also a nearly $2 billion-a-year business that is
growing fast.


Surprisingly loosely regulated, this business can lead to eager
customers -- prospective parents, in this case -- falling prey to
not-so-honest practitioners.


"The Internet has changed adoption to its core by speeding up the
process and also providing wonderful educational tools and support
resources," said Adam Pertman, author of "Adoption Nation" and
executive director of Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
(http://www.adoptioninstitute.org).

The vast majority of the 130,000 adoptions a year in the United States
are done ethically and well, he said, but the horror stories make the
news.

For instance, New Jersey authorities reportedly launched an
investigation a few years ago following several complaints about an
adoption agency that turned out to be started by a man who previously
designed and hosted hard-core pornography sites.

"Anyone can hang a shingle by buying a Web site, and I tell people to
carefully check references," Pertman said. "There are ways to make
money off of illicit adoption."

Statutes regulating adoption vary from state to state and country to
country, with few states having the resources to monitor and enforce
standards to prevent adoption agencies from misleading adoptive
parents or even pressuring pregnant women.

Agencies charge anywhere from $15,000 and $50,000 to facilitate an
adoption, either domestically or overseas.

Adoptions overseas by Americans have roughly tripled over the last
dozen years to about 21,000 in 2003, according to State Department
data.

Before selecting an agency, prospective parents should search the
National Adoption Directory at
(http://www.naic.acf.hhs.gov/database...naddsearch.cfm), experts
say. This database, funded by the Department of Health and Human
Services (news - web sites), lists licensed agencies by state.

Some states require certain procedures, such as screening prospective
parents through a home study by a social worker, which involves
interviewing prospective parents, home visits and FBI (news - web
sites) clearance.

If approved, the prospective parents then wait for a child or birth
mother to be identified, and then go through the legal process to
finalize the adoption. Political pressures or red tape can often delay
international adoptions.

In domestic infant adoptions, the agency compiles a profile describing
each family it can provide, and the birth mother picks the adoptive
parents based on these profiles.

Unethical agencies, many of which advertise on the Internet, may not
fairly warn prospective parents of potential hiccups like the high
rate in which birth mothers or relatives change their minds after the
child is born.

Others can mislead people seeking a foreign adoption by lying to them
about the child's age or medical condition, which only becomes
apparent after the prospective parents have already traveled overseas.

Some agencies also pressure families by telling them they have only 48
hours to decide on an international adoption.

Parents should also check their agency's international liaisons to
confirm they are legitimate, experts say.

Despite the pitfalls, adoption advocates say the Internet has enabled
thousands of families to adopt infants and find foster kids faster
than would have been possible years ago.

"The Web is pressuring the public system to work better and gives more
control to adopting families," said Barbara Holtan, executive director
of the Adoption Exchange Association, which in October 2002 launched
the first federally funded national adoption photo exchange at
(http://adoptuskids.org) with the Department of Health and Human
Services.

Holtan said the site has enabled prospective parents to find older
adoptive children across state lines, which was a rarity a few years
ago. "About 20 years ago, you'd have to wait for social workers to
bring you an 8-year-old," she said, "but now you can look on the
Internet."

Since 2002, the site has helped place about 2,850 children for
adoption, Holtan said.

But the practice is controversial, and some consider it an invasion of
the children's privacy.

For instance, AdoptUSKids features photos with descriptions that
include personal details like learning disabilities and behavioral
problems.

"The critics say it is like marketing children," said Pertman. "If we
could get more resources and better facilities, we wouldn't have to
seek these imperfect solutions, but right now, it's working for many
children."

Holtan admitted that caseworkers sometimes put too many details about
children on the Web site, but said her organization was working to fix
the problem.

"Adoption photo listings have evolved over time," she said, "and we
have a book in process right now on how to best put in listings."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._livewire_dc_1

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