Our conference this year will be focused on the important and complex topic of intercountry adoption. All who address this issue have a deep concern for the plight of orphans worldwide. In the Bible, James declares, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." Praised by some and criticized by others, intercountry adoption remains a matter of deep contention on the global stage. Proponents see it as a way to give a purported 18.5 million adoptable orphans a family and a better life, while critics call it a door to corruption and cultural imperialism.
This conference seeks to find understanding and common ground among these voices, while exploring the complex legal, religious and ethical issues raised by intercountry adoption. Our objectives for this conference include:
- Finding common ground among conflicting points of view regarding intercountry adoption
- Exploring current barriers to intercountry adoption such as legal regulations in both sending and receiving countries
- Viewing faith and social science together to form a more complete picture of intercountry adoption
- Providing knowledge and guidance for families with adopted children and those looking to adopt
| BREAKOUT SESSIONS I Responding to Adoption Triad Members Victimized by Abusive Adoption Practices David Smolin How Religion Informs Adoption Law Part I: Interfaith Perspectives Mark Goldfeder, Faisal Kutty Forgotten, Detained, Removed: Transnational Adopted Persons and Citizenship Rights Caitlin Kee, J. McLane Layton, Lele Morrill |
Leland Morrill, a contributor in the adoptee anthology Two Worlds, and a Navajo adoptee who has been reunited with his family and relatives, will be a presenter at this conference and share his presonal experiences with the Real ID Act of 2005 and his troubles securing a drivers license without an original birth certificate and tribal census number for his Navajo Nation. (Adoptees have amended birth certificates which are falsified birth documents listing our adoptive parents as our natural parents.) Leland plans to present a copy of Two Worlds to Ambassador Jacobs on Friday. Keep good thoughts and prayers for Leland on this important day... Trace
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