| Until recently, adoption, like infertility, rarely received | | | | cases.) Potential adoptive parents needn't be |
| much national attention. Thanks to television, | | | | discouraged by these battles. They should try, |
| however, millions of people, including many future | | | | however, to keep informed of how legal decisions |
| adoptive parents, saw the beaming faces of men | | | | might affect them. |
| and women who had become the legal parents of | | | | Having made the decision to investigate the options |
| babies form South America, Romania, China and | | | | of adoptions, you may scarcely know how and |
| other parts of the world where the children, almost | | | | where to begin. If you don't want to be at the |
| always girls, might otherwise have been consigned to | | | | mercy of experts, try to collect as much information |
| lives of neglect or outright starvation. | | | | as possible on your own and make a habit of jotting |
| In unwelcome contrast, we also saw a screaming | | | | down useful names, addresses and phone numbers in |
| child forcibly snatched away by a stranger from the | | | | a purse-size notebook. |
| only parents she had ever known. That "stranger" | | | | You might begin at your local public library, where |
| was her biological father, who had been granted the | | | | you're likely to find several useful books covering all |
| legal right to claim her after she had been given up | | | | aspects of the subject of adoption. You can find out |
| for adoption by her mother. | | | | how to contact state and national non-profit referral |
| It is estimated that in the United States, | | | | organizations, as well as how to get started on the |
| approximately fifty thousand children are adopted | | | | adventure of adopting a child from a foreign country. |
| every year. At least five times that many people are | | | | The librarian can also tell you how to get in touch |
| trying to become adoptive parents. Adoption has | | | | with adoptive parent support groups in your |
| always been a hazardous enterprise, but no more so | | | | community. Contact the office responsible for social |
| than parenthood itself. During a time when definitions | | | | services in your city or county for additional |
| of the family are yielding to social change, practically | | | | information. |
| all the established pronouncements of family law are | | | | All prospective adoptive parents are advised to |
| in a state of contention. The laws affecting adoption | | | | postpone their efforts to locate a child to adopt until |
| vary from year to year, from state to state and | | | | they have consulted a lawyer. Find a lawyer who |
| from city to city within the same state. | | | | knows everything there is to know about your |
| One cheerful note: in response to widespread outcry | | | | state's current adoption laws and who might |
| against judges whose decisions ignored the well-being | | | | eventually become the intermediary for the adoption |
| of the child, the interests of the child are now | | | | itself. To locate such a practitioner, family members |
| represented by social workers, psychiatrists and | | | | and close friends or the state or county bar |
| lawyers with at least as much passion and | | | | association can be helpful. If you trust your judgment |
| determination as the interests of the embattled adult | | | | about character an decency, you can also look in the |
| litigants. (The interests of the child have almost | | | | local Yellow Pages for an attorney who is a specialist |
| always been represented in divorce and custody | | | | in adoption law and arrange a consultation. |