Adoption Law
The NAF and its staff have been actively involved with efforts in Washington and elsewhere to achieve changes in adoption law and remove bureaucratic barriers to adoption.
- The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, has made it dramatically easier to adopt a child from foster care.
- The Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, raised the number of children available for adoption from other countries.
- The Child Health Act of 2000 has promoted greater emphasis on adoption as a choice for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
- Ratification of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption and Passage of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 provided the first consumer protections for families adopting abroad.
- The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 provides for automatic citizenship for children adopted abroad, saving adoptive families thousands of dollars and years of paperwork. It is estimated that over 100,000 children adopted in the US in the last 10 years became citizens for the first time when the law went into effect on February 27, 2001.
However, as more children are available for adoption, with less red tape, the reality is that more and more families are excluded financially from the adoption process. That's where NAF Financial Programs can help.
Find an Adoption Attorney
Ask a Pro: Free NAF Answer Line page and form
Current Adoption Law Headlines
Va. House approves anti-gay adoption ruleVirginia Anti?Gay Adoption Bill Advances
Lawyer defends Native American adoption law in toddler case
Va. House passes adoption bill
Va. House of Delegates OKs bill to allow adoption discrimination
Childrenās services chief Brewer retiring from DSS
VA POLITICS: House OKs bill to allow adoption discrimination
Trivia Night to benefit School of Law?s Child and Family Services Clinic
House passes bill giving leeway to adoption agencies
Legislators push exceptions to new civil unions law in Illinois
Links courtesy of Yahoo! News. To add these stories to My Yahoo! click here
