Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dissociation, Identity Distress, And Rejection Sensitivity In Adult Adoptees, Lee J. Mclamb

Digital Repository: Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence

No abstract provided.

The Aftermath Of Abusive Adoption Practices In The Lives Of Adoption Triad Members: Responding To Adoption Triad Members Victimized By Abusive Adoption Practices, David M. Smolin, Desiree L. Smolin

David M. Smolin

The above-titled presentation was given as a plenary presentation at the Annual Symposium of the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) on April 18, 2012. Herein is a slightly modified version of the Power Point used at the presentation. We corrected some typos and made some editorial adjustments, but this is 99% the same as what was used at the presentation. Unfortunately the event itself was not taped.

It is important to note that the original context for this presentation is Intercountry Adoption to the United States. However, some of you may find some of these points relevant to …

Adopted Citizens Denied Access To Their Birth Certificates: A Little-Known Civil Rights Issue, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

American citizens who were adopted are denied the right to access their own original birth certificates (OBC) in most U.S. states, a right available to all other non-adopted citizens. State regulations denying unrestricted access to one’s own birth certificate that apply only to a segment of the population create a lifelong inequality and violate the civil rights of adopted persons. Outdated state regulations that maintain this discrimination need to be repealed.

Defining Ethics In Domestic And Global Adoption Practice, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

Adoption practitioners and agencies all speak about ethics. However, without definition, the term is as subjective meaningless as "nice." This presentation points out the lack of definition or agreement of what constitutes ethical adoption practice and offers some concrete guidelines to be initiated to protect all parties.

Adoption Fees: Ethical Considerations For All Parties In Adoption, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

A great deal is said about ethics in adoption. However, the term remains vague, undefined, and subjective with suggested, but no firm or enforced guidelines enacted to police the adoption industry and protect the families and individuals whose lives they irrevocably change. This presentation focuses on the inequities of adoption fees particularly in terms of providing legal counsel to the mothers relinquishing.

Who Deserves To Be A Mother: The Impact Of Class, Age And Powerlessness,, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

Worldwide, poverty far exceeds abuse, neglect or abandonment as adoption moves children from economically at-risk mothers to adopters of higher socio-economic status. Domestically, American mothers (and those in other industrialized countries) have historically lost children to protect their parents from the shame and stigma of out-of-wedlock, “unwed” pregnancy. It is socially created criteria such as age, marital and financial status, which change over time and place - not fitness - that determine who is considered "deserving" to be a mother and who is made to feel inadequate, selfish and undeserving of their own child. These criteria create pressure on marginalized, …

Adoption Loss, Pain, Irresolvable And Universal Grief, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

Adoption loss is a limbo loss with no ritual or closure, that has been recognized as being irresolvable, creating increased risk of secondary infertility and post traumatic stress disorder. The pain is felt regardless of where the mother lives, how much she chose the decision and felt it was best. The grief, pain and anger do not lessen over time.

Alternatives Routes To Permanency: Is Adoption Always The Best Option, Mirah Riben

Mirah Riben

A presentation that asks if current adoption practices are optimally in the best interests of children and families they serve and offers family preserving options such as permanent legal guardianship or simple adoption in which the child rceeives the care he or she needs but doe snot involuntarily give up all ties to his or her family, genetics, and heredity.