"The most comprehensive site on adoption in Australia"
National Co-ordinator:
Ricky Brisson
P.O. Box 7420
Bondi Beach 2026 NSW
E-mail:
Ricky Brisson
P.O. Box 7420
Bondi Beach 2026 NSW
E-mail:
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The Australian Intercountry Adoption Network (AICAN) was founded in 1990 and is the national network of non-government organisations (NGOs) involved in international adoption.
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April 2013
March 2013
www.aican.org
Peter Selman, BA, DPSA, PhD
d.o.b. 12/06/1941
Peter Selman is Visiting Fellow in the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology at the Newcastle University, UK. His main areas of research interest are child adoption, teenage pregnancy and demographic change & public policy.
He is currently Chair of the Network for Intercountry Adoption and a member of the Board of Trustees of the British Agencies for Adoption & Fostering, He is Research and Literature Advisor to the UK's Intercountry Adoption Centre and has been consultant on adoption statistics for several international bodies including the Hague Conference on Private International Law and the United Nations Population Division.
He is editor of Intercountry Adoption; Development, trends and perspectives (British Agencies for Adoption & Fostering, 2000) and has written many articles and chapters on adoption policy.
www.amnesty.org
Russian parliamentarians must reject a bill that will have a chilling effect on human rights defenders and civil society when it goes through its third reading in the Russian Parliament's Lower Chamber - the Duma - on 21 December 2012, Amnesty International said today. The so-called "Dima Yakovlev bill" introduces, among other things, further severe restrictions on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and bans the adoption of Russian children by US citizens. The bill allows the Ministry of Justice to arbitrarily stop activities and freeze the assets of NGOs that they consider to be involved in political activities, receive funding from US citizens or organizations or conduct activities threatening the interests of the Russian Federation. It also bans persons, who are US and Russian dual nationals from being a leader or a member of Russian, international or foreign NGO participating in ‘political activities’ in Russia. Organizations, or their branches which violate this rule could be closed and its property seized.
Political Arena: Russian Federation
www.knoxweekly.com.au
A BLIND Russian high schooler's impassioned criticism of the ban on adoption has added a new and compelling voice to the chorus of condemnation of the law. Since her January 6 blog entry complaining about the ban, written as an open letter to the President, Vladimir Putin, Natasha Pisarenko has attracted the wide attention of Russian media and, she fears, drawn the disapproving notice of authorities. The adoption ban, which went into effect on January 1, is one of the most controversial moves of the first year of Mr Putin's third term in the Kremlin. It was enacted as part of a bill retaliating for a new US law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators.
Media: Russian Federation, USA
www.sbs.com.au
A US judge has approved a private adoption allowing three people - a gay man and a married lesbian couple - to be listed on the birth certificate of their 23-month-old daughter. "We're creating entirely new concepts of families. If you have two women seeking to be listed as Parent One and Parent Two, that does not exclude listing a man as father," said Miami family lawyer Karyn J. Begin, who represented dad Massimiliano "Massimo" Gerina in a two-year paternity case involving lesbian friends who had his baby. "People have to understand, the case is really a second-parent adoption, meaning that there are not three equal parents. There are three involved but there are two people who have sole parental responsibility," Kaplan said.
Media: Gay/Lesbian - USA, USA
www.news.com.au
Russia says it is concerned by a US ruling that the death of an adopted Russian boy in Texas was an accident, fuelling a diplomatic row as thousands marched in Moscow demanding an end to all foreign adoptions. Russia's foreign ministry said it had learned of the US coroner's findings, which clear the boy's parents of wrongdoing, "with concern" and called on US officials to provide Moscow with the necessary documents, including the death certificate of three-year-old Max Shatto (born Maxim Kuzmin), to help shed light on the case. "Only an examination of these documents will enable meaningful conclusions to be reached about the circumstances surrounding the Russian child's death and determine our possible future steps," the ministry's rights representative Konstantin Dolgov said in a statement on Saturday.
Media: Russian Federation, USA
www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au
Sixty years after being put up for adoption Bundaberg resident Janeen Jordan will this week finally meet the family she never knew she had. Mrs Jordan always knew she was adopted and had grown up an only child. She had tried, and failed, to learn about her biological family ... until a fateful call last week from an uncle she did not realise even existed.
Adoptees: Australia
www.abc.net.au
Emotions will be running high tonight as dozens of Hunter residents affected by adoption meet to talk about their experiences. The meeting, run by the Benevolent Society's Post Adoption Resource Centre, will welcome adoptees, birth and adoptive parents, as well as other family members to offer advice and support.
Media: Australia
www.smh.com.au
An Indian mother whose child was kidnapped and illegally adopted in Australia has accused the girl's adoptive parents and officials here of blocking the now teenager from having contact with her and of making no effort to try to repatriate the girl. Fatima, who uses only one name, will travel to New Delhi on Tuesday to try to meet with officials and hold a media conference as part of a bid to be reunited with her daughter, Zabeen, who was kidnapped by professional child-stealers near the family home in the slums of Chennai in 1998.
Media: Adoption Fraud - India, Australia, India
December 2012
www.adoptivefamilies.com
This two-page teacher guide offers age-specific ideas for sensitively introducing adoption, including...
- Preschool: Read picture books about adoption
- Early Elementary: As you discuss different kinds of families, always mention adoptive families
- Later Elementary: Present the Family Tree exercise with several alternatives for the whole class
- Middle and High School: Suggest adoption as one of the themes for essay or journal writing
Useful Links: Education Material for Teachers & Parents
www.123magic.com
This idea that children really want limits isn’t completely true. It is true, of course, that in the long run youngsters are more comfortable in a house where parents have clear, reasonable rules and enforce them consistently and fairly. Under these circumstances the kids are better off whether or not they realize the connection between their parents’ behavior and their own well being. In such a home, in addition to feeling cozy, warm and comfortable, children are also developing the critical skill of frustration tolerance.
Articles: Parenting
November 2012
www.adoptioninstitute.org
As adoption becomes increasingly normalized in the United States, more and more adoptive families are confronting a range of challenges when their children attend school. Interactions with administrators, teachers, peers and other parents can become complex and impact the adoptee negatively on many
levels. The issues involved range from the language used by both the children and adults; when and what to tell school personnel about the children and their pasts; and, as the children grow older, how to deal with questions related to ethnicity, birthparents, nationality, genealogical background, and traditional
lesson plans such as drawing “family trees.”
levels. The issues involved range from the language used by both the children and adults; when and what to tell school personnel about the children and their pasts; and, as the children grow older, how to deal with questions related to ethnicity, birthparents, nationality, genealogical background, and traditional
lesson plans such as drawing “family trees.”
Useful Links: Education Material for Teachers & Parents
www.nytimes.com
Jasmine Lee realizes just how Korean she’s become when she breaks out in the language, forgetting that her Filipino mother on the other end of the phone can’t understand her. But she is reminded of the limits of assimilation when Koreans, impressed by her fluency, comment: "You sound more Korean than Koreans do." Ms. Lee, 35, who was born Jasmine Bacurnay in the Philippines, made history in April when she became the first naturalized citizen — and the first non-ethnic Korean — to win a seat in South Korea’s National Assembly. Her election reflected one of the most significant demographic shifts in the country’s modern history, a change Ms. Lee says "Koreans understand with their brain, but have yet to embrace with their heart." But Ms. Lee thinks South Korea still has a long way to go. “In a recent program supposedly aimed at fostering multicultural harmony, organizers divided participants into one bus for Koreans and another bus for multicultural families", she said. "I envision a society that doesn’t need a label like multicultural."
Media: Korea, South
www.adoptivefamilies.com
SAMPLE:
"Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wanted to make certain you know that our family was formed through adoption, since it may come up in discussion this year in your class. Throughout the year I would like to share some terrific educational resources about adoption, family trees, positive adoption language,and more. In the meantime, I am sending you information and sample Q & As that may help you with responses to questions about adoption from kids in the classroom, should they arise."
"Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wanted to make certain you know that our family was formed through adoption, since it may come up in discussion this year in your class. Throughout the year I would like to share some terrific educational resources about adoption, family trees, positive adoption language,and more. In the meantime, I am sending you information and sample Q & As that may help you with responses to questions about adoption from kids in the classroom, should they arise."
Useful Links: Education Material for Teachers & Parents
www.heraldsun.com.au
German pastor Gabriele Stangl says she will never forget the harrowing confession she heard in 1999. A woman said she had been brutally raped, got pregnant and had a baby. Then she killed it and buried it in the woods near Berlin. Ms Stangl wanted to do something to help women in such desperate situations. So the following year, she convinced Berlin's Waldfriede Hospital to create the city's first so-called "baby box." The box is actually a warm incubator that can be opened from an outside wall of a hospital where a desperate parent can anonymously leave an unwanted infant. A small flap opens into the box, equipped with a motion detector. An alarm goes off in the hospital to alert staff two minutes after a baby is left. "The mother has enough time to leave without anyone seeing her," Ms Stangl said. "The important thing is that her baby is now in a safe place." Baby boxes are a revival of the medieval "foundling wheels," where unwanted infants were left in revolving church doors. In recent years, there has been an increase in these contraptions - also called hatches, windows or slots in some countries - and at least 11 European nations now have them, according to United Nations figures. They are technically illegal, but mostly operate in a grey zone as authorities turn a blind eye.
Media: Adoptees, Birth Parents, Germany
www.smh.com.au
Until she was in her late 20s, Kim Myung-Soo believed she was put up for adoption because she was born out of wedlock to South Korean factory workers. She was four when an Australian couple picked her up from Seoul and brought her up in rural NSW. But when the 30-year-old from Canterbury was reunited with her birth mother in Seoul, she was stunned by the truth. Her parents had been married, did not work in a factory, and her real name was altered to Myung-Joo. She learnt her mother was forced to relinquish her in order to remarry after her father had died. Single mothers are shunned in Korean society. "Most of the Korean adoptees I know have confronted problems in the search for their family," said the social work student. "Half records, false information, whole files missing. Could be something big, something small, but it's nearly a given something will be incorrect." Adoptee support groups and adoption experts are calling on the federal government to recognise the suffering of overseas birth mothers and their children in its impending apology for domestic forced adoption practices. They claim many intercountry adoptions were also characterised by lack of freely given consent, deception and coercion, and that the government failed to prevent overseas children being removed in conditions it was opposed to in Australia.
Media: Australia, Korea, South
www.smh.com.au
Deborra-Lee Furness has joined a chorus of child welfare advocates and carers to welcome moves by the NSW government to expand adoption, while warning more practical and financial support will be vital. Furness, who has adopted two children from overseas with husband Hugh Jackman, pictured below, is a passionate advocate for improving adoption and is a founder of National Adoption Awareness Week. ''We just want kids to have families, we don't care if they're from Parramatta or Nigeria,'' she said. The Community Services Minister, Pru Goward, announced proposals this week to make adoption, not long-term foster care, the preferred option for local children who cannot be restored to their own families. ''What children really need, the ideal, is a home for life,'' she said. The focus on providing children with stability has been widely welcomed, but most argue the practical challenges will be immense. The opposition community services spokeswoman, Linda Burney, raised doubts as to whether sufficient numbers of parents would be willing to take on children. ''We know that these children, particularly the babies, are born with significant health problems and can be addicted to opiates; the older children are often deeply scarred, damaged and many have disabilities,'' she said. Ms Goward dismissed Ms Burney's comments as ''ignorant'' and said there were 700 foster carers wanting to adopt. But Ms Furness said appropriate support was vital: ''It's not for every family, it's a big deal to take on an older child who's been traumatised.''
Media: Australia
Adoption in School -- Samples, Handouts & Downloadables
chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com.au
"My last post on adoption in the schools required you to BUY resources. This one features internet resources, handouts & downloadables that are free, free, free!"
Blogs: Australia, Education Material for Teachers & Parents
Useful Links: Australia, Education Material for Teachers & Parents
Useful Links: Australia, Education Material for Teachers & Parents
www.123magic.com
Close to the top of the list for greatest daily behavioural hassles is the problem of getting the kids up and out of the house in the morning. The situation often brings out the worst in everybody. Many people are naturally crabby in the morning and there is the additional pressure of having to get some place on time. All of this can easily ruin everyone's day.
Articles: Parenting
www.123magic.com
A very common and very upsetting problem arises in the course of many relationships, such as husband/wife or parent/child. It occurs when one person offers another person the choice of feeling angry or feeling guilty
Articles: Parenting
October 2012
www.adoptiondownunder.com.au
"I believe this book is unique to Australian adoption, providing a one-stop comprehensive reference designed to help anyone interested in adopting, relinquishing or searching their birth origins within Australia.
As both an adopted child and adoptive parent my understanding of Australian adoption matters is comprehensive, recognising the existing gap on adoption issues in Australia, and the need for this subject to be bridged.
This book has been written to raise awareness for those who in all facets have been affected through adoption, and to act as a guide for those considering local adoption or other options such as permanent care. It will provide all the information you need for getting the ball rolling, who to contact, what to expect throughout the processes, placement and beyond.
The need for searching birth origins remains important for both birth parents and adoptee's, past and present and Adoption Down Under, therefore provides all the relevant networks available for support, who to contact and how to prepare for the emotional journey ahead.
I hope this book will become a much needed and valuable resource for all of you who have ever had any unanswered questions or doubts about our adoption system here in Australia. I wish you all the very best in your personal journey!"
-- Meredith Grant
Books: Australia
www.eurekastreet.com.au
Church groups in Australia have been engaged in a gruelling campaign to maintain what they regard as justifiable exemptions from the provisions of equal opportunity employment laws. They want to maintain the ethos of their educational institutions and remain true to their teachings on questions such as family relationships. Cardinal Pell makes the point nicely:
Should the Greens have the right to prefer to employ people who believe in climate change, or should they be forced to employ sceptics? Should Amnesty International have the right to prefer members who are committed to human rights, or should they be forced to accept those who admire dictatorships? Both cases involve discrimination and limiting the freedoms of others, and without it neither organisation would be able to maintain their identity or do their job effectively. Church agencies and schools are not exempt from anti-discrimination law in New South Wales, and the language of ‘exemptions’ is misleading.
Should the Greens have the right to prefer to employ people who believe in climate change, or should they be forced to employ sceptics? Should Amnesty International have the right to prefer members who are committed to human rights, or should they be forced to accept those who admire dictatorships? Both cases involve discrimination and limiting the freedoms of others, and without it neither organisation would be able to maintain their identity or do their job effectively. Church agencies and schools are not exempt from anti-discrimination law in New South Wales, and the language of ‘exemptions’ is misleading.
Useful Links: Australia, Gay/Lesbian - Australia, Gay/Lesbian Adoption Legislation vs Catholic Church, Religion
www.nuaa.org.au
The suggestion made by a senior Queensland Health manager to the Queensland Child Protection Inquiry (Courier Mail, 27 August 2012) of utilising what they are calling a "parentectomy: to forcefully remove newborns from drug using parents is nothing short of shocking, says both the national & Queensland-based organisations representing people who use/have used illicit drugs. The Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) and QuIVAA says that adopting a surgically imbued term of precision and efficiency such as "parentectomy" to describe the emotional and heart-wrenching outcomes resulting from the forced removal of children is of the gravest concern. "The use of this terminology is designed to gloss over what is really being proposed here. A seemingly innocuous term, aimed at convincing the public that what is being suggested is somehow "medically efficient" and "in the best interests of all involved". It proposes an already tried and failed 'cruel to be kind' type approach to social welfare which was implemented prior to the 1950s but it has no place in Australia in 2012. Have we learnt nothing from the cruel and inhumane practices of the past that saw the systemic removal of indigenous and children of single parents from their families and communities? Child removal is not the clear or incisive act that the term "parentectomy" suggests - the wounds of forced child removal never heal and the damage for both parents and children can be permanent" stated Annie Madden, AIVL Executive Officer.
"I was on a methadone program for 14 years in N.S.W,my two sons where born on the program at westmead hospital,I was put on a court order to remain on the shit AND THEN THE GOVERNMENT STOLE MY KIDS AS I WAS A MOTHER OF A ABUSING SUBSTANCE,MY LIFE HAS BEEN IN TATTERS AS I WAS BASHED UP AT AURBAN METHADONE CLINIC IN ORDER TO GET AT MY SONS FATHER,I HAVE BEEN OFF THE METHADONE NOW FOR 6 YEARS AND AM RESEARCHING MY PAST AS I WAS SET UP AT THE AGE OF 21 THREE YEARS AFTER I ARRIVED FROM N.Z.THE POLICE SET ME UP TO GET AT THE CRIMINALS,I WAS SET TO LONG BAY JAIL.MY STORY GOES ON AND ON BUT NO-ONE WANTS TO KNOW OR HELP ME SORT IT OUT,I have been living in AUSTRALIA since I was 18 and am now 51 years of age,I have been to hell and back because of drugs and have a first hand witness and photo's plus a paper trail that would gob smack the world on how wrong one's life can go when we get involved in the circle of the MR BIGS."
"I was on a methadone program for 14 years in N.S.W,my two sons where born on the program at westmead hospital,I was put on a court order to remain on the shit AND THEN THE GOVERNMENT STOLE MY KIDS AS I WAS A MOTHER OF A ABUSING SUBSTANCE,MY LIFE HAS BEEN IN TATTERS AS I WAS BASHED UP AT AURBAN METHADONE CLINIC IN ORDER TO GET AT MY SONS FATHER,I HAVE BEEN OFF THE METHADONE NOW FOR 6 YEARS AND AM RESEARCHING MY PAST AS I WAS SET UP AT THE AGE OF 21 THREE YEARS AFTER I ARRIVED FROM N.Z.THE POLICE SET ME UP TO GET AT THE CRIMINALS,I WAS SET TO LONG BAY JAIL.MY STORY GOES ON AND ON BUT NO-ONE WANTS TO KNOW OR HELP ME SORT IT OUT,I have been living in AUSTRALIA since I was 18 and am now 51 years of age,I have been to hell and back because of drugs and have a first hand witness and photo's plus a paper trail that would gob smack the world on how wrong one's life can go when we get involved in the circle of the MR BIGS."
Useful Links: Queensland
www.community.nsw.gov.au
If you feel you can't cope with a new baby or your child, adoption is not the only alternative. There are a lot of support options out there, many of which are provided by Community Services and our community partners.
For more details on any of these options, contact Adoption and Permanent Care Services on 02 8855 4900, email
For more details on any of these options, contact Adoption and Permanent Care Services on 02 8855 4900, email
Useful Links: New South Wales
www.community.nsw.gov.au
There are all sorts of reasons parents consider making an adoption decision for their child. Often, this decision is made during a very emotional and difficult time.
You should always discuss your thoughts with a qualified and experienced worker (contact Adoption and Permanent Care Services on 02 9716 3003 or email ).
You should always discuss your thoughts with a qualified and experienced worker (contact Adoption and Permanent Care Services on 02 9716 3003 or email ).
Useful Links: New South Wales
www.community.nsw.gov.au
The Adoption Information Unit (AIU) provides adoption information and support for individuals and their families in relation to:
Useful Links: New South Wales
www.aph.gov.au
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services resolved on 16 February 2005 to conduct an inquiry into the adoption of children from overseas after reviewing the 2003-2004 Annual Report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The committee determined its terms of reference, giving particular emphasis to identifying any inconsistencies between state and territory approval processes for overseas adoptions and any inconsistencies between the benefits and entitlements provided to families for birth children as distinct from adopted children.
There has been a massive decline in the number of adoptions in Australia in the last 35 years. In fact, the total number of local adoptions per annum has dropped from a peak in 1971-72 of over 9,000 to 73 in 2003-04. Intercountry adoption is now the dominant form of adoption in Australia. By 2003-04 intercountry adoptions represented some three quarters of total adoptions and run at 300-400 adoptions per year. By contrast, there are tens of thousands of children in foster care or other forms of out of home care. It is also significant that increasing numbers of children are being born as a result of Assisted Reproductive Technology, such as IVF (6,800 IVF live births in 2002).
The committee determined its terms of reference, giving particular emphasis to identifying any inconsistencies between state and territory approval processes for overseas adoptions and any inconsistencies between the benefits and entitlements provided to families for birth children as distinct from adopted children.
There has been a massive decline in the number of adoptions in Australia in the last 35 years. In fact, the total number of local adoptions per annum has dropped from a peak in 1971-72 of over 9,000 to 73 in 2003-04. Intercountry adoption is now the dominant form of adoption in Australia. By 2003-04 intercountry adoptions represented some three quarters of total adoptions and run at 300-400 adoptions per year. By contrast, there are tens of thousands of children in foster care or other forms of out of home care. It is also significant that increasing numbers of children are being born as a result of Assisted Reproductive Technology, such as IVF (6,800 IVF live births in 2002).
Political Arena: Commonwealth of Australia
www.koreatimes.co.kr
Thirty years ago I was born in the middle of one of the most significant developmental projects the world has ever seen: The transformation of South Korea from a poor agricultural society devastated by war to one of the wealthiest economies. In my family money and food were scarce. Due to economic hardships I was temporarily placed in an orphanage.
However, when my father showed up to claim me back, I had been adopted by a family in a far off country. My father had no way to get in touch with me and I was too young to tell anyone that I was not an orphan who needed another family. I was not the only one who experienced this sort of displacement. Around 200,000 children from Korea were adopted by families overseas, most of them during the 1970s and 80s.
However, when my father showed up to claim me back, I had been adopted by a family in a far off country. My father had no way to get in touch with me and I was too young to tell anyone that I was not an orphan who needed another family. I was not the only one who experienced this sort of displacement. Around 200,000 children from Korea were adopted by families overseas, most of them during the 1970s and 80s.
Adoptees: Korea, South
www.digitalspy.com.au
The movie is the true story of an Irish woman whose son was sold for adoption in America, and their attempts to reunite with each other. Anthony was sold for adoption in America, where he grew up to be a successful lawyer and politician. In the 1980s, after he contracted AIDS, he visited Ireland in an attempt to find his mother.
Useful Links: Stolen Generations
www.mamamia.com.au
Our friends and family often ask “Any word yet?” and my usual, uniform response is “Not yet, still playing the waiting game.” Having waded through the endless paper work, the information nights, the training sessions, the assessment and the subsequent approval to locally adopt or permanently care for a child, my husband and I had expectations.
These expectations have been slowly dwindling, shrinking to fit the mould of what our social worker had told us in the beginning, “Tthink of this process as a pregnancy”, our own ideas and the actual truth of how long we have been waiting. We constantly ask ourselves: “Are we asking too much? Are we putting our lives on hold for something that is just not going to happen? What can we do to help this situation?” and as difficult as it would be, “Should we find a new focus?”
Every time we each ponder these questions, it shapes us and our opinion of the process we’ve been through up until now. Each time we hear the news of yet another friend or family member being blessed with a baby we hear that little question we dare not say aloud – “Why can’t this be happening to us?” We are not incredibly jealous people, we’re normally much more grounded and content with our lives.
These expectations have been slowly dwindling, shrinking to fit the mould of what our social worker had told us in the beginning, “Tthink of this process as a pregnancy”, our own ideas and the actual truth of how long we have been waiting. We constantly ask ourselves: “Are we asking too much? Are we putting our lives on hold for something that is just not going to happen? What can we do to help this situation?” and as difficult as it would be, “Should we find a new focus?”
Every time we each ponder these questions, it shapes us and our opinion of the process we’ve been through up until now. Each time we hear the news of yet another friend or family member being blessed with a baby we hear that little question we dare not say aloud – “Why can’t this be happening to us?” We are not incredibly jealous people, we’re normally much more grounded and content with our lives.
Blogs: Australia
northern-district-times.whereilive.com.au
Although a parliamentary apology has been accepted by mothers forced to give their children for adoption, it falls short of satisfying the children who were taken from their mothers. Local adoptee Susan Napper says more needs to be done to recognise the pain and loss of the children who were forcibly adopted out. The mother of two is an active campaigner for adoptees, having been forcefully taken from her mother when she was born at Paddington Women's Hospital in 1967. "Adoptees feel like an afterthought in the Parliament's apology," she said. "There are ongoing generational issues and many need counselling, psychological assistance and support."
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
northern-district-times.whereilive.com.au
MARSFIELD mother Robin Shingles tearfully accepts the apology from the NSW Parliament for having been forced to give up three new-born babies for adoption. Acknowledgement that the forced adoption practises of the past were wrong has eased some of the self-guilt and shame Ms Shingles has harboured for decades. "When they were born I couldn't even speak or hold my babies. I was drugged with sedatives," said Ms Shingles, who is now 68. Like thousands of other single and unmarried Australian women in the mid-1900s, she was forced to forced to give up three daughters at birth. Speaking to the Northern District Times, Ms Shingles recalled the pain and horror of a young woman being raped twice, falling pregnant each time, in 1963 and 1965. Her third daughter was born two years later and was also taken from her at birth. "I didn't have a choice in any part of my motherhood."
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
health.usnews.com
A school project that requires a baby photo, classmates who tease, well-meaning counsellors who say the wrong thing, uncommon medical conditions -- these are just a few of the challenging issues families with adopted children experience in their day-to-day lives.
A new report summing up adoption research shows that the portrait of adoptive families in the United States is changing and so are the needs of those families, said lead author Dr. Faye Jones, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Louisville.
Jones said the research suggests that families would benefit if their paediatricians were more aware of their unique needs -- specialized counselling and emotional support, connections to other adoptive families and tutoring service recommendations, for example. Adoption experts say educating schools and communities would help too.
"The key point is that families and children are going through a lot of different types of adjustments and it doesn't stop when the papers are signed. It's a lifelong process," Jones said.
A new report summing up adoption research shows that the portrait of adoptive families in the United States is changing and so are the needs of those families, said lead author Dr. Faye Jones, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Louisville.
Jones said the research suggests that families would benefit if their paediatricians were more aware of their unique needs -- specialized counselling and emotional support, connections to other adoptive families and tutoring service recommendations, for example. Adoption experts say educating schools and communities would help too.
"The key point is that families and children are going through a lot of different types of adjustments and it doesn't stop when the papers are signed. It's a lifelong process," Jones said.
Health: Health
September 2012
www.smh.com.au
Women whose babies were forcibly removed and adopted have accused the state government of insensitivity over parts of last week's apology for the practice, and for giving funds for counselling to an organisation associated with forced adoptions. In a series of letters to the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, and the Community Services Minister, Pru Goward, several women have criticised the apology wording and the allocation of $900,000 funding to the Post Adoption Resource Centre (PARC), which is government-funded and run by the Benevolent Society. The Benevolent Society has admitted to and apologised for its role in forced adoptions.
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
sl.farmonline.com.au
When the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, issues an apology for the removal of thousands of newborn babies in forced adoptions today, he hopes it will ''ease the pain of those affected'' by the practice now acknowledged as unethical and often unlawful. But Colin Dagwell also hopes it will have another effect - to help him and other adoptees find their birth parents. Mr Dagwell, 56, has been searching for his birth mother for decades. He may never know the circumstances around his adoption but it fits the pattern of those prompting today's apology. His birth mother, who he believes to be named Grace Marsden, was 23 and unmarried in 1956 when she gave birth to him after several days of being administered sedatives in Crown Street Women's Hospital. The baby was marked ''for adoption'' before birth and removed immediately. ''Maybe she's been so locked away in the need for secrecy and hurt and embarrassment and shame,'' he said. ''Maybe this will give her the freedom to make some contact.''
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
www.theaustralian.com.au
More than 300 people are expected to witness the NSW government's apology to victims of forced adoption, which Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward hopes will provide "healing and comfort".
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
www.abc.net.au
New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has delivered an apology over the policy of previous government to remove children from unwed mothers.
Mr O'Farrell told a packed gallery parliament acknowledged the traumatic effects of the policy of forced adoptions that was pursued right up to the 1970s. In a speech that was interrupted twice by a spectator, he said it was important to admit wrongs were done. "It caused years of pain and grief for many, instead of the joy and delight of parenthood might reasonably be expected to bring," he said. "Today in this, Australia's first parliament, we acknowledge the terrible wrongs that were done and with profound sadness and remorse say to those living with ongoing grief and pain, we are sorry."
Mr O'Farrell told a packed gallery parliament acknowledged the traumatic effects of the policy of forced adoptions that was pursued right up to the 1970s. In a speech that was interrupted twice by a spectator, he said it was important to admit wrongs were done. "It caused years of pain and grief for many, instead of the joy and delight of parenthood might reasonably be expected to bring," he said. "Today in this, Australia's first parliament, we acknowledge the terrible wrongs that were done and with profound sadness and remorse say to those living with ongoing grief and pain, we are sorry."
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
www.skynews.com.au
Victims of forced adoption are set to receive an apology from the NSW government, with hundreds of people expected to converge on state parliament to witness the event.
Media: New South Wales, Stolen Generations
www.theaustralian.com.au
A same-sex marriage bill should pass NSW parliament after party leaders announced they will let members have a conscience vote, members of a cross-party working group say. Ms Moore, who will retire from parliament this week after she was re-elected as Sydney Lord Mayor earlier this month, said she was optimistic the legislation would be supported by state parliament. "I believe that if there is a conscience vote in NSW Parliament that bill could be as successful as my same-sex adoption bill was," she said. "I'm very optimistic about that."
Media: Gay/Lesbian - Australia, New South Wales
www.communities.qld.gov.au
The Queensland Government acknowledges the recommendation made on 29 February 2012 by the Australian Government Senate Committee Inquiry on the Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices that a formal statement of apology be issued by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments to those people affected by forced adoptions.
Political Arena: Queensland, Stolen Generations
www.abc.net.au
The Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane has personally apologised to women who were forced to give up their babies in his diocese. Doctor Phillip Aspinall today met with the women who lost babies to forced adoption in church-run women's homes in Brisbane. The women say it's a welcome first step.
Media: Queensland, Religion, Stolen Generations
www.sbs.com.au
On a quest to trace her birth mother, adoptee Olivia Bethke travelled to Seoul and began with the phone book. She hasn't yet found her mother but knows exactly what she'll say if she does.
Articles: Australia, Korea, South
www.sbs.com.au
Tim Fredericks was adopted from South Korea as a baby. While he has had a loving and supportive upbringing, a lingering feeling of loneliness drove him to seek out his birth mother.
Articles: Australia, Korea, South
www.parenthub.com.au
The structure of a federal program that provides monthly subsidies to promote the adoptions of special needs children in foster care may actually be delaying some adoptions, according to a new study by University of Notre Dame economist Kasey Buckles. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (AACWA), passed in 1980, provides an average of $670 per month for foster parents of special needs children, while adoptive parents of special needs children receive an average of $571 per month. “Special needs” refers to foster children who may be harder to place in permanent adoptive homes because of age, race, or mental or physical disability.
Media: Australia
www.sbs.com.au
An Australian woman has found she was the subject of a falsified adoption in South Korea, where her biological mother was told her baby was stillborn.
Media: Adoption Fraud, Australia, Korea, South
www.smh.com.au
The New South Wales state government will waive fees for parents and adopted children to access their personal records as it prepares to give an apology for the state's role in the ''unlawful and unethical'' removal of children in thousands of forced adoptions.
Adoptees: Australia, New South Wales
August 2012
www.smh.com.au
Christine Cole was 16 when, heavily drugged and in agonising pain, her daughter was pulled from her body in a labour ward in Crown Street Women's Hospital. The teenage mother lay there, waiting to hear the new baby cry, and when she could not, tried to sit up and see whether the infant was OK. ''Three nurses threw me back on the bed and held me down,'' she recalls of that 1969 day, ''and one of the nurses said 'this has got nothing to do with you'.'' Cole is one of an unknown number of mostly young, unmarried women in NSW between the 1950s and 1970s whose children were taken from them in what is commonly referred to as ''forced adoption''. She, and many others, call it kidnapping. ''I kept asking for my baby and they kept telling me 'no, you're too young, you're not married','' she said. ''After five days they came with papers and said you cannot leave this hospital until you sign these papers.'
Media: Australia, Stolen Generations
www.themercury.com.au
What do you say to the woman who had a pillow held over her face as she gave birth, to prevent her from laying eyes on the baby she was being forced to relinquish? What do you say to the woman who, during a forbidden cuddle with her newborn, stroked the downy softness of her baby's cheek knowing the single memory would need to last a lifetime? What do you say to the woman whose fretting for her lost son became so intolerable that she tried to reclaim him with a shotgun only to end up in jail, locked away from the child she ached for?
Media: Australia, Stolen Generations, Tasmania
www.perthnow.com.au
People directly affected by past forced adoption practices are being asked to help the federal government frame its national apology. Some 150,000 unwed mothers had their babies taken against their will by churches, hospitals and adoption agencies in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. A Senate committee which investigated the commonwealth's involvement recommended in February that the government formally apologise to victims.
Media: Australia, Stolen Generations
rightnow.org.au
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets international legal standards for the protection and wellbeing of children. As UNICEF recognised in their report A World Fit for Children, this convention has helped to accord political priority to children. However, ensuring that children’s human rights receive their fair share of attention and resources remains a political hurdle throughout the world. Intercountry adoption is one such example where political will to ensure children’s rights is lacking. Intercountry adoption is where a child is taken from the country they were born in to a different country to live. The child’s birth country is called the country of origin and the country the child is taken to reside with adoptive parents is called the receiving country. This article identifies what the CRC requires to secure the human rights of a child in the intercountry adoption process. The article then proceeds to identify some areas for law reform.
Political Arena: Australia