My Proposed Adoption Reforms

1. Eliminate all publicly accessible photo-listings of children.
2. Make public the number of disrupted placements of homestudy and placement agencies.
3. Create a standardized, consumer friendly and consumer protective adoption agency contract.
4. Eliminate all for-profit agencies.
5. Force financial transparency - make every dime of every fee accountable.
6. Make agencies fully responsible for the actions and behaviors of their employees and subcontractors anywhere in the world.
7. Make the trafficking of children for adoption illegal.
8. Federalize the regulation of the adoption industry and make it subject to the same laws any other industry that provides interstate and international services is subject to.
9. Create a dedicated ‘Adoption Bureau’ in the appropriate law enforcement organization to vigorously enforce the laws and prosecute violators.
10. Take the distribution of referrals away from the adoption industry.
11. In all legal adoption procedures, provide the child with independent legal representation that will protect the child’s best interests.
12. Reduce, standardize and cap all fees at appropriate levels that will allow adoption workers to earn a reasonable living while eliminating fees that serve to promote profiteering and corrupt practices.
13. Provide unbiased counseling to all known mothers considering placing a child as to all her options.
14. Full participation of all members of the triad in the adoption process and in the formation of policy, regulations and reforms. (The adoption industry is not part of the triad, but may be consulted.)
15. Homestudy specific required training for social workers who conduct them.
16. Require standardized comprehensive education that informs parents of the very real risks of IA and realities of parenting of post-institutionalized children.
17. Prohibit any restrictions on the sharing of information about providers or the process.
18. Ensure that referrals are made on an "equal opportunity" basis to ALL applicants regardless of whom their industry provider is.
19. Require a portion of each adoption fee to go toward unadopted orphan welfare.
20. Post-adoption support for adoptive parents and adoptees.
21. Agencies must make demonstrable efforts to keep birth families intact, if that fails, demonstrable efforts for same race placements in country, if that fails demonstrable efforts for same race placements overseas.