In an age where diversity comes into question and is promoted by some (in some fashion or another) as a negative quality, it is a breath of fresh air to see a company with such a progressive outlook on family, diversity, inclusiveness and equality."As part of its Diversity & Inclusion strategy and ongoing efforts to attract and retain the best talent, XL Catlin has announced enhanced family-friendly leave benefits, including more paid time off for maternity, adoption and family care.The...

"Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, has introduced a 100-page bill that he said will 'modernize' adoption law.'The last time that Georgia’s adoption law was substantially worked on was 1990,' Reeves said. 'So in the last 27 years, there have been a lot of changes, there have been a lot of adoption cases that have demonstrated flaws in our code section that have demonstrated a need for clarity in our code section. So what the goal was was [sic] to do a substantial revisi...

We recently reported about a "Religious Freedom" bill currently moving through the state of South Dakota. Now another one has popped up in Alabama. This new bill, named the "Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act," was first introduced two years ago but it didn't gain any traction. There seems to be a renewed effort in passing this so called "Religious Freedom" bills once again as many believe it is because these lawmakers are anticipating support from the Trump adm...

"Indian police said Tuesday they have arrested the heads of an adoption centre suspected of selling at least 17 children to foreign couples, the latest trafficking scandal to hit the country.Investigators said children aged between six months and 14 years were sold to couples from Europe, America and Asia for between $12,000 and $23,000 and taken out of the country.Police in the eastern state of West Bengal arrested Chandana Chakraborty, head of the Bimala Sishu Griha centre, and her deputy...

Adoption is an expensive process, anyone that has already gone through the process knows this to be true. There is a nonprofit organization however that offers an "equality-based adoption grant program", which is actively seeking LGBTQ prospective parents, among others."Helpusadopt.org was founded in 2007 by spouses Becky and Kipp Fawcett, after their own infertility struggle and adoption process. They depleted most of their savings doing so, and decided they wanted to help other ...

This is an update to the story regarding Senate Bill 149 being proposed in South Dakota that would allow for "religious protections" for adoption agencies. This bill would essentially allow adoption agencies in South Dakota to discriminate against those seeking to adopt who do not conform to what said agency deems as an acceptable family ..."Senate Bill (SB) 149 would enshrine taxpayer-funded discrimination into state law by allowing state-funded adoption and foster care agencies ...

The Cleveland FBI raided the international adoption agency European Adoption Consultants (EAC) located in Strongsville Ohio on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation.This visit by federal agents comes less than two months after they has been barred by the U.S. State Department from conducting any further adoption services for three years. The investigation found the agency and it's providers overseas committed several violations, including bribes and falsifying information to officials ...

Spending more than two years going through criminal background checks, submitting financial disclosure statements and attending parenting classes before they became foster parents, Billy Mawhiney and his husband Kyle Margheim say it wasn't an easy process. The couple stuck it out thought because they knew they wanted to be parents.Now they are worried over a bill that is making its way through the South Dakota Legislature which could eliminate that option for them in the future. If it is app...

In the wake of recent events it is a pleasure to see when lawmakers take up an effort to help children and families in need. House Democratic Caucus Leader Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, on Friday (02/10/2017) filed House Bill 295, legislation to create a Kentucky income-tax credit to offset adoption costs.Adkins was quoted in saying, "Costs such as adoption agency, court and attorney fees and travel expenses can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars. There is already a federal ado...

Yesterday, without warning, the Independent Adoption Agency (IAC) closed it's doors permanently declaring Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. At the time of closing it was estimated that roughly 919 families had been affected by this closing nationwide and left in what has been termed "adoption limbo." Since then we had learned that the actual number was much higher at 1,886 adoptions that were in progress.This abrupt closure of IAC (based in Concord California) has shocked prospective parents a...