Legal issues

In the nineteenth of our series, our mom of three kids--Emily and her new siblings, Grant and Lynn--wonders why so much information about her childrens’ past is still unavailable, and why she’s listed as Mom on their birth certificates.

The other day I started to think about all my kids’ personal information being completely sealed and stored in some undisclosed location in Victoria. I just don’t understand why we can never access it again. 

Many adoptive parents incorrectly assume that once they have been granted a legal adoption order, obtaining citizenship or permanent resident status in Canada for their child is a mere formality.

After all, the adoption has been legalized in the foreign country. Isn't it now legal in Canada too? Isn't it my right as a Canadian citizen to have my child granted status?

Editor's note: This article was published in 2012. Please make sure you check with Canada Revenue and the IRS for up to date information.

All children born in the USA and adopted by Canadians over the past number of years (of which there are several hundred) are US citizens. This, of course, brings with it a number of rights and responsibilities. For example, they can be subject to a military draft.

The following story is far from typical—most BC families that adopt from the US have a much easier experience. This story speaks to the immense strength of the desire to become parents. Despite the enormous difficulty of their journey, the couple we feature here persevered. That is a characteristic of many adoptive families—it is a quality that brings untold numbers of parents and children together.

Deciding to start a family took Jane Bartlett and Linda Coe (names have been changed) on one of the most difficult adoption journeys imaginable.

Though it is rare, there are occasions when a birth parent does not give consent to the adoption of a child within the 30-day limit. Focus on Adoption asked Adoption Agency Director, and lawyer, Lorne Welwood where an adoptive parent or parents might stand in one such case.

In this excerpted article, adoption expert Mary Martin Mason proposes how she thinks open adoption should work.

In BC, several registeries exist to help connect birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says children who are born to, or adopted by, one member of a gay or lesbian couple deserve the security of two legally recognized parents. A new AAP policy statement supports legal and legislative efforts that provide for the possibility of adoption of those children by the second parent, or co-parent, in same-sex relationships.

How biology and technology provide powerful tools for adoption reunion.

With advances in computer technology and DNA science, it seemed likely that a way would be found for the far-flung children of China to find their birth families. That day seemed far off. However, it has arrived 20 years before I expected it.

Generally, grown men shouldn’t cry in public. Particularly not in Tim Hortons on a Friday night. But here I am, holding back tears with my laptop open and my coffee cooling. Five minutes ago I was typing away happily, and now, here I am, writing this.