New Contact form on PEAR's Website

PEAR has a new Contact form on the website . It is accessible from any page on the website by clicking Contact.

You can select a topic such as Pre-Adopt Question, Ethical Issue, Agency Issue, and more, so that we can quickly handle your question, suggestion or request for help. It is not necessary that you complete all the fields listed; they are suggestions not requirements.

As always, you can still reach us by sending an email to reform@pear-now.org

Ethics ~ Transparency ~ Support
What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Reminder: Adoptee Rights Demonstation July 21

Adoptee Rights Demonstration, a rally and protest in Philadelphia, PA, is being held at 11 AM on July 21, 2009. This rally will coincide with the opening day of the Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislators.

Read more on the blog

Adult adoptees in most of the advanced, industrialized nations of the world have unrestricted access to their original birth records as a matter of right. In contrast, adult adoptees in all but six states in the U.S. are forbidden unrestricted access to their own original birth certificates, due to archaic laws that are a legacy of a culture of shame that stigmatized infertility, out-of-wedlock birth and adoption.

Adult adoptees and their supporters have worked diligently in different states for decades to overturn these laws, but have been opposed by well-funded lobbies representing certain adoption agencies and lawyers who have a vested interest in keeping birth certificates sealed. Their unsupported claims that access violates dubious privacy rights or will increase abortions and decrease adoptions have been categorically refuted by data from states with laws recognizing the rights of adoptees, by studies such as the recently published paper from the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, and by court decisions affirming the constitutionality of access laws.

Focus on Children Trust Fund

Excerpts from a Salt Lake Tribune Article
Defendants in Samoan adoption case must pay $100,000 to trust fund

A federal judge in Utah has ordered five operators and employees of the now-defunct Focus on Children adoption agency to contribute $100,000 to a trust fund that would allow Samoan children adopted by U.S. parents to connect with their birth families.

U.S. District Judge David Sam said the payments will serve both as punishment and a form of "restorative justice."

The money would be paid in monthly installments over the next five years. Sam's order, issued Tuesday, marks the end of the court proceedings in the case.

A 2007 indictment accused the five of tricking Samoan parents into giving up their children to the Wellsville-based group for adoption.

Prosecutors alleged relatives or friends in Samoa pushed the adoptions as a program that would educate children in the United States and return them at age 18. Also, the adoptive parents in the United States were falsely told the adoptees were orphans or abandoned and that communication with the birth families was forbidden, according to the indictment.


And

The defendants and the amounts they must pay are:

» Karen Banks, 48, who managed the adoption agency, and her husband, Scott Banks, 47, who also held a management position, $85,000.

» Dan Wakefield, 72, who helped locate children in Samoa for adoption, $8,000.

» Coleen Bartlett, 52, who facilitated the adoption of Samoan children, $4,000.

» Karalee Thornock, 36, who served as a Pacific Islands case worker, $3,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office had asked for a minimum total of $108,000. Spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch said Thursday that while no amount of money can rectify the damage done, prosecutors are satisfied with Sam's order.

"We believe this money will be a significant help in opening the long-awaited lines of communication between children and families affected by the defendants' actions," she said.

Read the complete article here

PEAR Website News

PEAR has unveiled several new pages on its website!

1) Country page
This page has links to posts on PEAR's blog with information specific to each country. In addition there are links to PEAR's statements on each country and 3rd party reports deemed to be relevant to adoption.

2) News & Views from the Triad
This page opens up PEAR's "Blog of Blogs" it combines the content of more than 20 blogs from members of all parts of the triad. This takes about 30 seconds (an eternity!) to refresh when you hit the page each day. However, it gives you a good overview of the news of the day from triad members. The mix of blogs included may change from time to time. If you have dial-up, I would suggest you not access this page at this time.

3) Files
This is an archive of PEAR statements and actions

4) Directories
This lists all the Medical Providers included in PEAR's "Comprehensive Directory of International Adoption Medical Doctors". There are 130+ providers listed from 41 states who are knowledgeable about adoption, institutionalization, and/or prenatal substance use issues. You can find extensive detailed information about each practice by downloading the directory.


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

PEAR Announces the Creation of Country Specific Blogs

As part of PEAR's effort to provide prospective and adoptive parents with the resources, information and support to make educated and informed decisions concerning adoption, we announce the creation of a our country specific blog program.

We are starting this program as a test to see how well the blog format works and whether it is consumer friendly. Our pilot blog will be focused on Nepal. The blogs will contain current information from US and Nepalese governmental sources, NGOs, media, adoption service providers, and adoptive and prospective adoptive parents. PEAR hopes to assist families in finding information and discover the root and truth behind rumors. We will also provide updated links to resources for both prospective and adoptive familes.

To make this blog work, we need your help! We invite PAPs and APs to participate by commenting on the posts and by writing to PEAR with information, questions, rumors, and constructive criticism on how we can improve the resource.

Please check out our new blog at:
http://pearadoptinfo-nepal.blogspot.com/