The
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Newsletter
July 2002
IN
THIS ISSUE
1.
Laws, Policy & Practice
2.
In the News
3.
Research Update
4.
Public Opinion
5.
Facts & Stats
6.
About the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
1.
Laws, Policy & Practice
ADOPTION
INSTITUTE TO MAKE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON NATIONAL SURVEY
RESULTS
The 2002 National
Adoption Attitudes Survey, sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation
for Adoption, in cooperation with the Adoption Institute, finds
that a large majority of Americans support adoption and a significant
minority have considered adopting. The Survey also reveals that
Americans increasingly view adopted children no differently from
children raised by biological parents, and provides significant
new information concerns affecting willingness to adopt, especially
from foster care. Additionally, the study tracks changes in Americans’
views from the Adoption Institute’s 1997 Benchmark Adoption
Survey, the first national survey of adoption attitudes.
Significant
2002 findings include:
- Americans
increasingly have very favorable opinions about adoption -- 63%
in 2002 up from 56% in 1997.
- More Americans
have personal experience with adoption. In 2002, 64% of respondents
reported that a family member or close friend had been adopted,
had adopted, or had placed a child for adoption, an increase from
58% in 1997.
- Thirty-nine
percent of Americans have very or somewhat seriously considered
adopting at some point in their lives, compared to 36% in 1997.
- A majority
of Americans believe adoptive parents derive the same satisfaction
from raising adopted and biological children -- from 46% in 1997
to 57% in 2002.
- Increasing
numbers of Americans see no difference between adopted children’s
likelihood of physical, social and emotional problems compared
to other children. At the same time, there were moderate increases
in the number of respondents who think adopted children are more
likely than other children to have such problems.
- African
American, Hispanic and White populations have different perspectives
on adopting. For instance, African Americans and Hispanics are
more likely to consider adopting children with characteristics
often seen as decreasing their likelihood of adoption, such as
children who are in foster care, of a different race or part of
a sibling group.
The Adoption
Institute will use the survey findings to advocate for more effective
adoptive parent recruitment strategies and post-adoption support
services for families. View
more highlights and the full report.
LEGISLATION WOULD ACCELERATE AND
MAKE PERMANENT ADOPTION TAX CREDIT
The Senate is
considering legislation to make the adoption tax credit permanent
(HR4800) and to make the special needs adoption flat tax credit
effective for the 2002 tax year (S1802). Sen. Bunning (R-KY) is
sponsoring legislation to make the credit permanent, while Sen.
Landrieu (D-LA) has proposed an amendment to accelerate the special
needs flat credit.
Under current
law, the $10,000 adoption tax credit is set to expire in 2010. And,
in order for families adopting special needs children this year
to receive the tax credit, they must document qualified adoption
expenses. Many of these families will not be eligible, however,
because their adoption-related expenses are ongoing medical and
counseling services that do not qualify for the credit. Without
accelerating the effective date for the flat tax credit, it is likely
families will defer finalization of special needs adoptions until
2003.
To indicate
support for these bills, contact Senate leadership and Senate Finance
Committee members (particularly if you are a constituent) by phone
and fax, to voice your support for HR4800, with S1802 as an amendment.
View
contact information for the Finance Committee ; for
the Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle (D-SD); and for
the Senate Minority Leader, Trent Lott (R-MS).
CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT EXPANDS
DEFINITION OF “PARENT”
In a June 2002
decision, the California Supreme Court found that a man caring for
a child who was not biologically related to the child or married
to the biological mother was "his presumed father." Similar
rulings have been issued in Wisconsin, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
The California court granted custody of a six year-old boy to “his
presumed father” because his mother’s drug abuse and
mental instability prevented her from parenting him and his biological
father expressed no interest in parenting him. Access
the decision.
2.
In the News
UTAH
DEBATING RIGHTS OF OUT-OF-STATE BIRTH MOTHERS
Several adoption
agencies have sued the Utah Department of Human Services over a
requirement that agencies report out-of-state women who give birth
in and relinquish children for adoption in Utah. The agencies disagree
with the state’s interpretation of the Interstate Compact
on the Placement of Children. The State is requiring that agencies
report out-of-state birth mothers to their home states to preserve
birth fathers’ rights, reports a June 24, 2002 article, “Adoption
Agencies Sue State Over Out-of-State Mothers’ Rights,”
in the Salt
Lake Tribune.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION IN CAMBODIA INFLUENCED
BY MARKET FORCES
Author Sara
Corbett traces the origins of international adoption in Cambodia,
finding strong anecdotal evidence of child trafficking and systemic
corruption that caused the INS to suspend U.S. adoptions from the
country, in the article “Where Do Babies Come From?”
from the June 16, 2002 New
York Times Magazine.
CANADIANS ADOPT SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS
OF AFRICAN AMERICAN INFANTS
Approximately
90 African American infants per year are adopted by Canadians, ranking
the United States sixth among countries sending children to Canada,
according to the June 30, 2002 Chicago
Sun Times article “Black Babies from U.S. Highly Sought
in Canada.”
3.
Research Update
ASFA
FACILITATING CHANGES IN FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
Limitations
in available data make it difficult to assess the role of the Adoption
and Safe Families Act (ASFA) in recent national adoption increases,
concludes a June
2002 U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report. GAO determined
that ASFA funds aided states in recruiting adoptive parents and
providing post-adoption services. In addition, ASFA provisions facilitated
more timely permanency planning decisions for children. Among states
that provided data on adoption stability, GAO found disruption and
dissolution rates of 5% and 1% respectively.
OLDER CHILD ADOPTION AMONG FACTORS ASSOCIATED
WITH ADOPTIVE PARENT DISTRESS
A July
2002 study in Family Relations identifies several factors associated
with adoptive parent distress -- including older child adoption,
adoptee adjustment, higher numbers of adopted children in the family,
finances and adoption agency evaluation processes.
KINSHIP CARE CHILDREN: MIXED RESULTS
ON SERVICE NEEDS AND OUTCOMES
A June
2002 Urban Institute report gauging service needs of children
in kinship care found that 64% of kinship families are low income,
and another 31% are considered poor. Children placed in kinship
care from the child welfare system receive more financial supports
in the form of food stamps (59% versus 42%) and foster care or child-only
payments (65% versus 27%) than their peers in privately arranged
kinship care. Over three-fourths of children in both groups are
covered by insurance (87% versus 82%).
An earlier,
May
2002, Urban Institute research brief found kinship care children
are nearly twice as likely as their peers under parental care (8%
versus 4%) to have a limiting condition or to be in fair or poor
physical health. The percentage of kinship care children with these
problems, however, is still quite low. The study also shows that
children cared for by low-income relatives have more problems in
school and are slightly more likely to have a physical, mental health
or learning issue when compared with peers who live with low-income
biological parents. Both groups though fare equally well on some
measures of physical health and behavior.
FEW NEW YORK CITY FOSTER CARE ADOPTIONS DISSOLVE
A recent study
of 516 New York City foster care adoptions in 1996 found that few
have dissolved. Such positive outcomes were achieved even though
many New York City families indicated their connection to information
and family supports ended with adoption finalization, according
to a survey reported in the May/June 2002 issue of Child
Welfare.
AFRICAN AIDS ORPHANS PROJECTED TO
NEARLY DOUBLE BY 2010
A July 2002
UNAIDS/UNICEF
report released at the 14th International AIDS Conference estimates
that 25 million children worldwide will be orphaned by 2010 due
to the AIDS-related death of one or both parents. By 2010, 20 million
children—6% of all African children under age 15 are expected
to be orphaned by AIDS—an 82% increase.
4. Public Opinion
MAJORITY
OF FLORIDIANS DO NOT SUPPORT GAY AND LESBIAN ADOPTION
A 57% majority
of Florida citizens do not think gay couples should be allowed to
adopt, finds a June 2002 poll conducted by the Orlando Sentinel
and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
BRITISH SUPPORT ACCESS TO MEDICAL HISTORY
FOR DONOR OFFSPRING
A significant
majority of Britons support access to health and medical histories
for sperm donor offspring (83%) and believe such children have an
equal right to know their biological parents as adopted children
(two-thirds), according to a June 2002 poll commissioned by the
Children’s Society, published June 26, 2002 by BBC
News.
5.
Facts & Stats
OVER
A QUARTER MILLION CHILDREN ADOPTED INTERNATIONALLY IN THREE DECADES
Did you know
that between 1971 and 2001, U.S. citizens adopted 265,677 children
from other countries?
Want more facts
about adoption? Visit our Facts
About Adoption pages to find the most up-to-date facts and statistics
on adoption, in a concise and easy-to-read format.
6.
About The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
ADOPTION
INSTITUTE HOSTS WASHINGTON, DC RECEPTION
On June 19,
2002, the Adoption Institute hosted a reception in Washington, DC
to thank supporters and introduce policymakers, media representatives
and others interested in adoption issues to the organization and
its priorities. The Adoption Institute was delighted that Senators
Clinton (D-NY) and Landrieu (D-LA) attended and spoke at the reception.
They cited the Institute’s contributions to improving adoption
policy and practice, including its extensive recommendations on
the Intercountry Adoption Act and the 2002 National Adoption Attitudes
Survey, sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Adoptive
parents and noted journalists Al Hunt and Judy Woodruff were honored
guests. Pictures from the reception can be viewed online.
ABOUT
THE INSTITUTE
Since 1996, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a national
not-for-profit organization, has advanced sound adoption policy
and practice for adopted people, adoptive families and birth parents.
The Adoption Institute gathers, analyzes and synthesizes the best
available information from research and practical experience to
identify and develop the most effective policies and practices to
increase the numbers of permanent and loving families for waiting
children, as well as to provide positive life-long experiences for
all participants. Working with lawmakers, practitioners and researchers,
the Adoption Institute strives to improve the ethics of adoption
policy and practice, and the day-to-day experiences of everyone
involved.
Our award-winning
web site, www.adoptioninstitute.org,
is a popular and reliable voice for ethical and accurate adoption
information.
SUPPORT
OUR WORK
The Adoption Institute was established in 1996 with a one-time grant.
This means that to continue our work we need the financial support
of people like you whose lives have been touched by adoption and
who care deeply about the future of vulnerable children everywhere.
To learn more about our initiatives and how you can help, visit
visit
our donation page or call 212-269-5080.
SHARE
THE ADOPTION INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
Forward this Newsletter to a friend or colleague.
Sign up for the Adoption Institute Newsletter.
COMMENTS?
We welcome your thoughts on the Newsletter. Please let us know how
we can make it better. Comments, questions and news tips may be
directed to geninfo@adoptioninstitute.org.
YOUR
PRIVACY
The Adoption Institute will never trade or sell your e-mail address.
Privacy Policy.
All contents
© by The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a
501(c)3 non-profit organization
120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005
The
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Presents
The Adoption Institute Newsletter - June 2002
WELCOME
Welcome to the first
edition of the Adoption Institute (AI) Newsletter, a new source
for timely, accurate information on adoption policy, practice, public
perception, research and media coverage. The Newsletter will be
published on a monthly basis.
IN
THIS ISSUE
1.
Laws, Policy & Practice
2.
In the News
3.
Research Update
4.
Public Opinion
5.
Facts & Stats
6.
About the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
1.
Laws, Policy & Practice
ADOPTION
INSTITUTE SURVEY: MONEY & INFORMATION PROBLEMS IN INTERNATIONAL
ADOPTION
Results of the Adoption
Institute's recent survey of Americans who adopted internationally
in the last five years underscore two key problems for a significant
minority of families-financial arrangements between agencies and
families, and information provided to adoptive parents. Of the over
1,600 respondents who used adoption agencies:
- 13% were not satisfied
with services,
- 14% would not recommend
their agency to other families,
- 14% said their adoption
cost more than they were told, and
- 15% said their agency
withheld information or told them inaccurate information about
the child.
Almost three-quarters
of parents said they were asked by their agencies to carry cash
overseas to pay adoption fees, with most carrying $3,000 or more.
For more details, see the survey
results.
The Adoption Institute
has shared this information with the State Department and Congress
as they draft regulations to implement the Intercountry Adoption
Act (IAA).
ADOPTION INSTITUTE TESTIFIES BEFORE HOUSE
COMMITTEE, SEEKING STRONGER PROTECTIONS IN IAA REGS.
Clear and enforceable
practice standards and consumer protections are necessary to improve
unethical and poor quality international adoption services, the
Adoption Institute has told the U.S. State Department and the House
Committee on International Relations.
Cindy Freidmutter, Executive
Director of the Adoption Institute, presented recommendations to
the House Committee on May 22, 2002, stating that "unfortunately
the current draft regulations will not fulfill a primary purpose
of the IAA-'protect[ing] the rights of, and prevent[ing] abuses
against children, birth families and adoptive families.'"
Freidmutter urged the
State Department to require U.S. adoption providers to be directly
responsible for all financial transactions with their contractors
and to enter into service contracts with prospective adoptive parents
that create clear and predictable business relationships. She also
called on the federal agency to provide prospective adoptive parents
with access to objective service quality information about adoption
providers. Read the full
testimony.
The State Department
is expected to publish proposed Intercountry Adoption Act regulations
in the Federal Register this summer. For the latest information
about the regulations and the Adoption Institute's recommendations,
go to: http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/policy/hagueregs.html.
ADD YOUR VOICE FOR NEEDED CHANGES TO
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION REGS.
Call or fax your Congressional
Members and ask them to urge the State Department to adopt Adoption
Institute recommendations for improving the regulations. Are your
representatives on the foreign relations committees? If so, their
support is crucial. Visit http://congress.org/
to find out who represents you in Congress. To check committee membership,
go to the House
International Relations Committee and Senate
Foreign Relations Committee websites.
2.
In the News
MISSOURI
PARENTS TRADE CUSTODY FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Desperate Missouri parents
who can't afford mental health care for their children are told
to relinquish custody to the state's Division of Family Services,
according to a March 30, 2002 Associated Press article. The agency
is legally required to provide treatment for children in the system
and estimates that 500 kids, or 20 percent, in its care are there
because their parents could not afford mental health services.
This situation is not
unique: In a 1999 report, the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill surveyed 900 parents of mentally
ill children throughout the nation and found that 20% had relinquished
custody to the state to get treatment for their children.
SPERM BANKS MOVE TO END DONOR ANONYMITY
About a dozen sperm banks
are leading a trend to ensure that offspring of sperm donation can
receive contact information for their biological fathers, according
to a May 21, 2002 story in The
New York Times.
FLORIDA COUNTIES EXPERIENCE INCREASE
IN GRANDPARENTS RAISING CHILDREN
According to preliminary
estimates from the 2000 Census, the number of Broward and Palm Beach
County, Florida grandparents raising children increased 20% in the
last decade, reports a May 27, 2002 Sun-Sentinel
article.
3.
Research Update
LEGALIZED
ABORTION TIED TO DECLINE IN CHILDREN RELINQUISHED FOR ADOPTION
The number of children
available for adoption declined dramatically after abortion was
legalized in the 1970s, according to a January/February 2002 study
in the Alan Guttmacher Institute's Perspectives
on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
TEENS PREOCCUPIED WITH ADOPTION MORE
LIKELY TO DISTRUST ADOPTIVE PARENTS
Adolescents who are highly
preoccupied with their adoptions are much more likely to distrust
their adoptive parents and feel alienated from them, a February
2002 study in the Journal
of Marriage and Family found.
4. Public Opinion
MORE
AMERICANS SUPPORT GAY AND LESBIAN ADOPTION
47% of Americans support
gay and lesbian adoption, while 42% oppose it, according to a March
2002 poll conducted by ABC
News. Opposition has declined 23 points since 1994.
5.
Facts & Stats
INTERNATIONALLY
ADOPTED CHILDREN SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER THAN ADOPTED FOSTER CARE
CHILDREN
Did you know: 46% of
children adopted internationally in 1998 were under a year old.
In contrast, only 2% of children adopted from the U.S. foster care
system in 1999 were that young.
Want more facts about
adoption? Visit our Facts
About Adoption pages to find the most up-to-date facts and statistics
on adoption, in a concise and easy-to-read format.
6.
About The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
The
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, founded in 1996, is a national
not-for-profit organization devoted to improving adoption policy
and practice. The Adoption Institute is a reliable voice for ethical
adoption practices that respect all people touched by adoption.
Our award-winning web site, www.adoptioninstitute.org,
is a top choice for accurate adoption information.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Your financial support helps us advance adoption policy and practice
and provide up-to-date, accurate information. To find out more about
our initiatives and how you can help, visit
our donation page or call 212-269-5080.
SHARE THE ADOPTION
INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
Forward this Newsletter to a friend or colleague.
Sign up for the Adoption Institute Newsletter.
COMMENTS?
We welcome your thoughts on the Newsletter. Please let us know how
we can make it better. Comments, questions and news tips may be
directed to geninfo@adoptioninstitute.org.
YOUR PRIVACY
The Adoption Institute will never trade or sell your e-mail address.
Privacy Policy.
All contents
© by The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a
501(c)3 non-profit organization
120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005
