Here’s what I want to know. Why aren’t there more programs like this one?

(If you have trouble with the link, just search for an article entitled “Swamp Nurse,” by Katherine Boo).

This story, which first appeared in The New Yorker, profiles a social program known as The Nurse-Family Partnership. The program helps low-income, first-time mothers to become better parents by providing them with nurses who mentor them through the first two years of their children's lives.

The... more

A recent New York Times article, “Unwed Fathers Fight for Babies Placed for Adoption by Mothers,” (Tamar Lewin, March 19, 2006) is a must-read piece about the issue of putative father registries, which we've recently discussed in this blog. I’ve provided the link to the Times article here, but will also quote from the piece in my post, below.

The article begins with the story of Jeremiah Jones, who learned that... more

In a closed adoption, you don’t know where your child is or how he or she is doing; you lose all ability to monitor their health and welfare.

There are dozens of reasons to avoid closed adoption and opt for an open one instead, but I’ll talk today about the most terrifying reason of all: the potential for harm to come to your child.

Now, most adoptive parents are good and loving people, who would never dream of harming any child. But in closed adoption, you just don’t know who will be doing the parenting…and you could be one of the unlucky ones.

There are certainly lots of horror stories out there. Probably the most famous is the Lisa Steinberg abuse case. Lisa was... more

Let's count all the things that are wrong with this story, shall we? (If you have trouble with the link, the story is "Mom stranded in Iowa when she vetoes adoption" by Dan Gearino of the Quad-City Times, Sioux City, Iowa.)

Read it? Okay, now let's examine how many ethical abuses it contains.

1. The paying of expenses to pregnant women by potential adoptive parents, facilitators or attorneys is coercive. This arrangement causes a vulnerable pregnant woman to... more

Among those of us who live with adoption on a daily basis, there is sometimes a tendency to judge anyone who ended up choosing another option, such as single parenthood. I suppose that's a normal reaction; if you think you yourself have done the "right" thing, you'd hope that others would also make the same choice. (The opposite is also true. If you have lingering doubts about your choice, you may be even more vocal about insisting it was the right one.)

Personally, I don't agree with judging what anyone does when faced with a crisis pregnancy. I believe adoption is an intensely personal choice, and one that is by no means right for everyone. And I applaud anyone who tackles single... more