Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / February 2006

     Stage is set for adoption law review

     By Dan Gearino
     DES MOINES - State leaders are calling for greater scrutiny of
adoption practices, with some legislators saying they are troubled by
apparent shortcomings in Iowa law.

     The comments were in reaction to a series of reports published this
week by Iowa Lee Enterprises newspapers, including the Quad-City Times. The
four-day series examined a pattern of adoptions in Sioux City in which
pregnant women were relocated from across the country to give birth in Iowa
and place their children for adoption, sometimes to adoptive families from
outside the state.

     The series showed how such situations do not always work out as
planned, causing severe financial and emotional harm, even though the
practices are all legal.

     "It does give us concern as a state. We should really be looking at
how we can protect these individuals," said Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City,
who co-chairs the Senate Human Resources Committee, a panel that oversees
aspects of adoption regulation.

     She said a possible first step is to look at new rules for adoption
advertising that would require disclosure of where an adoption-service
provider is located and whether the service provider is licensed in its home
state.

     Several legislators have experience with adoption law or working with
adoption agencies. That includes Sen. Keith Kreiman, D-Bloomfield, a lawyer
who has handled adoption cases and is co-chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee. He said the news reports showed him a part of the adoption
industry he did not know existed.

     "The bottom line here is you have vulnerable women and vulnerable
prospective adoptive couples who are sometimes harmed by botched adoptions
and maybe a little bit questionable procedures. I don't think that's good
for anybody. And we can't forget that there's a little baby involved," he
said.

     Kreiman said the state may want to consider new rules for adoption
facilitators, which are businesses paid a fee to match pregnant women with
prospective adoptive parents. In most states, including Iowa, facilitators
are not required to have any special training or license. Facilitators based
outside Iowa were involved with some of the Sioux City adoptions.

     "Without regulation, it's a little bit wild and wooly out there,"
Kreiman said.

     Sen. Dave Mulder, R-Sioux Center, said he was troubled to learn about
the adoption practices and sees a need for legislative intervention.

     He is a former board member for the Orange City branch of Bethany
Christian Services, a nonprofit adoption agency.

     "I think what it's going to take is for a group of legislators to say,
'Hey! This is not right. We need to do something about it,'" Mulder said.

     He said the guiding light in adoption should be human interests, not
financial interests. He said that people who are concerned about adoption
should contact him to suggest specific ways to improve the process.

     House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said he is going to
listen to his constituents to see if there is a desire for more legal
protection of people involved with adoptions. He said lawmakers need to
tread carefully and avoid rules that would discourage adoption.

     "It's a real delicate balancing act, and I think it's something we
will continue to struggle with," he said.

     Ragan agrees that legislators need to be careful, but she doubts there
will ever be an outcry from constituents, particularly people who placed
their children for adoption.

     "Many of these people are disenfranchised. . They're more concerned
with day-to-day needs. They're trying to survive," she said.

     Gov. Tom Vilsack, who was adopted as a child, issued a statement
calling for ongoing scrutiny of adoption laws. He is in Washington, D.C.,
for the National Governors Association conference.

     "Adoption is about making life the best choice for the child, birth
parents and adoptive parents. Government's role is to insure that the
process moves smoothly while safeguarding everyone's interests. As systems
change, lawmakers and regulators should review rules and regulations to
prevent bad outcomes," he said.