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Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Law

Indian Child Welfare Act Of 1978: The Congressional Foray Into The Adoption Process, Brian D. Gallagher Nov 1994

Indian Child Welfare Act Of 1978: The Congressional Foray Into The Adoption Process, Brian D. Gallagher

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Adoption law has become the focus of increased media and legal attention in the past few years. In 1978, Congress entered the adoption process, an area traditionally reserved for state regulation, through passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act. This Act was intended to remedy the "wholesale separation of Indian children from their families," which was viewed as being "perhaps the most tragic and destructive aspect of American Indian life ...". This article addresses the effect this Act has had over the past seventeen years. While a definitive statement regarding the success or failure of the act with respect to …


Providing Justice For Children In Disputed Adoptions: A Feminist Perspective, Meghan S. Skelton Oct 1994

Providing Justice For Children In Disputed Adoptions: A Feminist Perspective, Meghan S. Skelton

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.


If Black Is So Special, Then Why Isn't It In The Rainbow?, Sharon E. Rush Jul 1994

If Black Is So Special, Then Why Isn't It In The Rainbow?, Sharon E. Rush

UF Law Faculty Publications

In the modern day, defining "family" becomes less of a theoretical debate when one's own family unit is different from the traditional married, middle-class mother and father with their biological children. For non-traditional families, redefining family takes on enormous practical significance and may actually enable people to create families. Laws permitting transracial adoptions and surrogacy are illustrative. Moreover, a broader definition of family provides greater legal security to non-traditional families. Without such legal protection, non-traditional families live in fear of traditional laws tearing them apart. Rather than using a standard that promotes hegemony in custody disputes, decisionmakers should become aware …


Black Identity And Child Placement: The Best Interests Of Black And Biracial Children, Kim Forde-Mazrui Feb 1994

Black Identity And Child Placement: The Best Interests Of Black And Biracial Children, Kim Forde-Mazrui

Kim Forde-Mazrui

No abstract provided.


Black Identity And Child Placement: The Best Interests Of Black And Biracial Children, Kim Forde-Mazrui Feb 1994

Black Identity And Child Placement: The Best Interests Of Black And Biracial Children, Kim Forde-Mazrui

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this Note is to question whether racial matching by courts and child-placement agencies serves the best interests of Black children. The principle that guides this Note's analysis is that racial matching is justified only if such a policy better serves the interests of Black children than a policy in which race is not a factor in a child-placement determination. This Note also questions whether racial matching serves the interests of biracial children and those of Black people as a cultural group.


Who Is Jessica's Mother? Defining Motherhood Through Reality, Suellyn Scarnecchia Jan 1994

Who Is Jessica's Mother? Defining Motherhood Through Reality, Suellyn Scarnecchia

Other Publications

The recent Baby Jessica case and others like it have renewed the nature versus nurture debate in family law. Baby Jessica's biological parents, the Schmidts, sought to obtain permanent custody of their daughter after giving her up for adoption to the DeBoer family. Their argument was one that found its basis in biology and the idea of a traditional family. On the other hand, with the assistance of Professor Scarnecchia, the DeBoers argued that it was more important forJessica's overall health to remain with her primary caretakers of two years. Courts, however, have taken a more traditional view of this …