Sunday, December 30, 2007

Welcome

Welcome to the new blog for Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform, PEAR. We are a grassroots group of adoptive and prospective adoptive parents who have come together to discuss the lack of a unified, respected voice for adoptive families. Our membership has grown via word of mouth to include adoptees, adoption professionals, and other persons interested in meaningful ethical adoption reform from the adoptive parent point of view.

We believe that the existing system needs strong reforms because it does not represent the best interest of the people most impacted by the system: the children and their families (both families of origin and adoptive families).

It is the mission of PEAR to provide a voice for prospective and adoptive parents. Our goal is to ensure that all families are provided

* the opportunity to make a wholly informed and educated decision to adopt;

* a system that is transparent, ethical, economical, and respects the rights of families of origin, the laws of governments involved, the adoptive and prospective adoptive parents, and most importantly the children;

* a choice of agencies that operate legally, ethically, responsibly and in the interest of the adults and children they serve;

* access to support services and resources post adoption;

* official representation before the bodies that govern and oversee adoption providers

We hope to include on this blog information and discussion on issues and projects being addressed by PEAR and other adoption ethics and reform groups, as well as providing a source for information, education, advocacy and support for prospective and adoptive parents. It is also our hope that this blog will serve the greater adoption community by engaging all stakeholders (triad members, adoption agencies, attorneys, and governmental bodies) in broader initiatives that seek to forge a common vision for ethical adoption.