Pregnancy and Adoption Resources

‘Adopted’ Steve Jobs to inspire Indian adoption agency campaigns

By: Vinod Kumar Menon

City adoption agencies hope to leverage the outpouring of admiration in the wake of the death of Apple CEO and adopted child, Steve Jobs, to encourage childless couples to adopt

Adoption centers in Mumbai are hoping to leverage the huge publicity surrounding Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ death to encourage more people to adopt. This, since the American tech genius was himself an adopted child, a fact that lent the inspirational story of Jobs even more weight and intrigue.

City adoption centers are going to peg their campaigns on the premise — ‘your adopted child could turn out to be a Steve Jobs too’. With awareness about his accomplishments and interest at an all-time high following his death, adoption centers believe it is the right time to design an apt Steve Jobs-centric campaign to target couples that want to adopt.

State Minister for Women and Child Development Varsha Gaikwad is keen to introduce the success story of Steve Jobs in their future promotional adoption campaigns. “Such successful case-studies or faces will be used for the promotional campaign to encourage adoption. We also want to make a case for the adoption of kids in the age group of two to six years, apart from infants.”

Dr Vinita Bhargav, professor of sociology Delhi University, admits that case studies of people like Jobs will be useful in spreading the right message. “The need of the hour is not to promote adoption but to encourage childless couples to adopt children in the age group of 2 years and above, who are mostly neglected,” she said.
She added, “Of course, in most cases of adoption, the probable parents want to know as much as they can about the child’s background, which can empower them to make a decision. But adoptive parents must realize that it is the child, after all, who decides his/her destiny. They can only provide a better environment for the child.”

Harsha Sheth, a social worker at the Chembur center of the Bal Anand World Children Welfare Trust, shared similar views. “The success stories of adopted children like Jobs and others will surely encourage more childless couples to give adoption a second thought.”

At present, the center has 10 to 11 children available for adoption, while 20 couples are on the wait list. She shares that most couples want to adopt infants aged between two months to a year, as it is believed that a child that young can adjust easily to its new parents. The waiting period post the date of registration usually lasts up to a year, so that all legal formalities and verifications can be completed before the child is officially handed over to the parents.

According to adoption statistics available with Central Adoption Resource Authority (see box), in 2010, a total of 6,286 children were adopted, as against 2,518 adopted in 2009, across India.

Social workers at the Indian Council of Social Welfare (ICSW), Fort, explained to Sunday MiD DAY that there are two kinds of legal adoption options: in-country (within India) and inter-country adoption (outside India).

According to their statistics, in the past five years, 6,771 children were adopted, of which 2,301 male and 2,692 female children were adopted within India while NRI/foreigners adopted 647 male and 1,131 female children.

The official at ICSW added, “The number of female children adopted is usually higher than males, which confirms the fact that a higher percentage of female children are being abandoned in the state as compared to boys. Apart from the stigma of being an unwed mother, poverty and the inability to feed more than two children have also become reasons for disowning a child.”

The maximum number of adoptive parents who come to India looking for a child are from Italy, Denmark, USA, UK and Norway, while a slow growth is being witnessed in the number of prospective parents coming from Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden.

Who can Adopt?
According to the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act 2000 as amended from time to time, the court may allow a child to be given in adoption:
to a person irrespective of marital status; or
to parents to adopt a child of the same sex irrespective of the number of living biological sons or daughters, or
to a childless couple

Additional Eligibility Criteria:
>Two years of stable relationship in case Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAP) are married.

>To adopt children in the age group of 0-3 years, the maximum composite age of the PAPs should be 90 years wherein the individual age of the PAPs should not be less than 25 years and more than 50 years.

>To adopt children above three years of age, the maximum composite age of the PAPs should be 105 years wherein the individual age of the PAPs should not be less than 25 years and more than 55 years.

>A single PAP desiring to adopt should not be less than 30 and more than 50. The maximum age shall be 40 years to adopt children in the age group of 0-3 years and 50 years for adopting children above 3 years.

>PAPs should have adequate financial resources to provide a good upbringing to the child.

>PAPs should have good health and should not suffer from any contagious or terminal disease or any such mental or physical condition, which may prevent them from taking care of the child.

>A second adoption is permissible only when the legal adoption of the first child has been finalised.

>Single male is not permitted to adopt a girl child.

To keep in mind if you plan to adopt an older kid
Do not overwhelm the child.

Have patience, do not expect your new child to adjust to your family instantly.

Be aware of food issues.

Night fears are common.

Expect that simple things may be new to them, and confusing.

Don’t try and force affection.

Keep to a routine.

Do not expect or demand gratitude.

Talking to other adoptive parents can be of assistance.

Original Story: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/oct/091011-The-apple-of-your-i.htm

You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand. I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me. There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following. I understand better than anyone else the stresses and strains that have afflicted you. You can ventilate safely to Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.

Complaining to others is another matter altogether. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage. Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out. As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart.

Jeremiah 31:25; Philippians 2:14-15

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
– Max Ehrmann – Desiderata

Recent statistics say there are more than 143 million orphans worldwide, including 115,000 waiting children right here in the U.S; I’m not okay with that, are you?

I invite you to spend a little time reading some inspiring adoption stories, please share them with your friends and loved ones!

~ Blogger Martha

Who wants to accept them By: Lisa (KoKo Living)
http://www.kokoliving.com/lisas_story_korean_baby_a/

Something, recently, made me think of this. You hear conversations or dialogues when adults or children, for that matter, are biracial how they may feel like they are white or black yet society doesn’t always want to accept them. What I mean is you’ll hear stories of a biracial (black/white) person not fully being accepted by one side or the other and therefore ending up with a feeling of not belonging. And before anyone thinks it’s wrong to say black in lieu of African American I say that because not all are. My nephew, for instance, is biracial, but his father is white, while is mother is Caribbean. I wonder sometimes if he will feel that way. I pray not. This dismissal can lead to low self-esteem for especially a child, let alone an adult.

Then, you have my three younger children. I’ve talked with many adopters over the 9 years we’ve been involved in the adoption world, and it is a different world sometimes, and while some have never had issues of any sort many have. Many talk of being the only non-white in their community or going to college one day thinking they can join the Asian groups and not being accepted. Some kids in some communities may feel alone being the only one of their ethnicity while others may belong to a community with other children of their ethnicity, but the adoption sets them apart and prohibits them from feeling like they do belong. It makes my heart sink to think that my children, because my husband and I adopted them, may not be accepted by people of their own race. I don’t feel we did a bad thing by adopting them, so I will never apologize for that. But, I hate to think they will possibly feel out-casted and typecast-ed as white because of us and their big brothers. Realizing it may happen for the opposite reason

I guess because I have such a mixed heritage I can’t really relate to one group if you relating for culture, etc. I can only be who I am and how I grew up; which was a mishmash of everything. We didn’t celebrate just one thing. I’m sure a lot of the German side dominated because my mom is 100% German heritage. But, there are things that changed the way we did things because I’m also of American Indian, German, French, English, etc. I can’t help but think because of my mixed ancestry that’s why I’m so interested in other cultures and love learning about them and the people that come from them. My children, all 5, are much the same way. They are being raised with some Korean; as much as I can give them anyways, and a mishmash of everything else. I’m not dismissing them and their Korean ness. I never could or would. But, am just raising them in the way we were. Mostly we were raised based on our Christian religion and the celebrations and such that go along with that. In addition, we try different foods and make them daily. We’re definitely not a steak and potatoes kind of family. Not that they’re not good….on occasion, but I like a wide variety and the kids are beginning to show the same likes of this.

I guess, part of me wants to say I’m sorry for being here and offending anyone who thinks I do not belong because “I” am white. If there were a check box for Heinz 57, I would be checking it, because that’s me. But, I’m a mom to Korean children and they are and forever will be Korean-born. This is celebrated and loved in our home. It saddens me to think that any one race would ever dismiss a child, based on their parents’ presentation or assumption of race, from being acceptable in their own society. I do truly pray this does not happen and the world changes more for my children. In my happy world, inside my head, it’s already there. But, when it does, it will be this outwardly looking white mother that will hug and kiss those tears away if it does happen and love them as I have since the day I even knew they existed.

A day to recognize the thousands of women whose adoption choice give other women the opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day.

It is appropriate that the day before Mother’s Day is recognized as a day to honor birthmother’s. In a world where thousands of children are adopted each year, it is essential to take this opportunity to show respect for the women who first loved them. While stories of adoption steal the spotlight week after week, the birthmother’s side is often left untold.

This is changing with the release of BECAUSE I LOVED YOU: A Birthmother’s View of Open Adoption (Goblin Fern Press, 2006). In the book, I share my journey in choosing adoption for my son Joe in 1985 and the growing relationship with his adoptive parents through his high school graduation. In order to dispel the myths regarding birthmother’s it’s important for people to hear the struggle women face when making this decision. for me, I began to imagine what life would be like if I kept my baby.I was lonely, worried about money, working all the time. I imagined my child wandering into neighbor’s apartments looking for friends, someone to be a father. these thoughts always lead to screaming into my pillow out of frustration. after much consideration I knew that keeping him would be for ME, but placing him for adoption was best for HIM. I loved him enough to put his needs before mine. This is what birthmother’s face, making a decision that will be hurtful to them in order to do what is best for their child.

During my quest for an answer, I met with other birthmothers and was surprised at what I heard from them. my family had been emphasizing to me that if I chose adoption, I would then be able to forget, put it behind me, get on with a normal life. While it seemed the women had indeed gone on with their lives, no one was forgetting a thing. I learned from those mothers that, yes, they did suffer loss, but what mattered most was that their babies would be happy.

I was lucky that a new wave of adoption had begun: open adoption. I had ongoing contact with my son’s adoptive family and as the trust and respect grew, so did our commitment to each other and the boy we loved. Today, over 90% of domestic adoptions are open arrangements.

This building of a relationship was celebrated at my son’s high school graduation. during the ceremony, the principal asked the parents responsible for getting their children through life to this day to stand. I sat and watched as Kathy and Jerry stood on either side of me. then, simultaneously, they looked down to me and reached out their hands. Kathy said, you belong here too, and holding my hands tight, they pulled me up to stand between them. my story mirrors that of thousands of other birthmothers, and on this special day, let us recognize their loss, their bravery, and their love.

Birthmother’s Day Is May 12th

Original Link to this story: http://thebreakingstory.com/parenting/birthmothers-day-is-may-12th/5821.html

Author Linda Howard Urbach recounts the life of the young girl orphaned by Madame Bovary in a recently released book that will be introduced at several local book readings featuring actress E. Katherine Kerr.

The team at New Beginnings was recently interviewed by Mrs. Joy Lucius of American Family Association regarding its Haiti Adoption Program.  The interview was featured in the September 2011 edition of the AFA Journal and has been copied below for your enjoyment.

AJA Journal Article

EmbryoAdoption.org Adds More Web Videos to Raise Awareness About Family-Building Through Embryo Adoption and Donation

FULLERTON, Calif. – (September, 2009) – To raise awareness about the relatively new process of human embryo adoption and donation, the one-stop informational Web site EmbryoAdoption.org launched three new Web videos.

The first video, “A True Story of Embryo Donation & Adoption,” reveals a compelling story of two families brought together by their common desire to become parents.  Two additional videos share embryo donation and adoption testimonials from couples that struggled with infertility and found hope in the embryo donation and adoption process.

“There are just so many couples that just don’t know what to do with their embryos,” says embryo donor Jennifer Spohr, as she tells her story in the first video.  “They have many frozen [embryos] and if they don’t do something, they’re going to stay frozen forever.”

Hundreds of thousands of frozen human embryos in the United States alone remain in storage and in limbo, while couples grapple with the difficult decision of what to do with their remaining embryos after completing their family building efforts.  As couples weigh their options, many learn about embryo adoption and donation through the site’s fact sheets, testimonials, adoption stories, news archive, service providers and much more.  In fact, site traffic amounts to about 5000 visitors per month.

In addition to the three new Web videos posted this year, EmbryoAdoption.org features eight videos posted in past years.  Among these videos, visitors to the site will find perspectives from the medical community, background about where frozen embryos come from, and footage of special moments in the lives of children born through embryo adoption.

These videos also have an active viewership throughout the Internet. Users of video viewing sites such as YouTube, Tangle and UVouch have accounted for more than 50,000 views over the past twelve months.

EmbryoAdoption.org is maintained by Nightlight ^® Christian Adoptions as part of its Embryo Donation and Adoption Awareness Campaign.  Nightlight provides adoption services through the Snowflakes^® Frozen Embryo Adoption program (Snowflakes).  Snowflakes started in 1997 as the only organization of its kind to facilitate the donation and adoption of frozen embryos for family building.

Nightlight’s Embryo Donation and Adoption Awareness Campaign is supported by grant number

5 EAAPA081009-02-00 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department.