The National Council for Adoption has reported a decline in U.S. intercountry adoptions since the year 2004.
This hour, we discuss the factors driving this downward shift and consider how it compares to trends in the adoption of children born domestically.
We also hear from two Connecticut residents with unique adoption experiences -- one as an adoptive father, the other as an adopted son.
If you have an adoption story you want to share, we want to hear from you, too.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
GUESTS:
- Kevin Lembo - Connecticut State Comptroller; adoptive and foster parent (@ComptrolLembo)
- Marvin Christley - Physical education teacher at Lincoln-Bassett School in New Haven, Connecticut; adopted son
- Ryan Hanlon - Vice President of Education, Research, and Constituent Services for the National Council for Adoption
- Joselyn Benoit - Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Adoption Assistance Program at UConn Health; to contact the Adoption Assistance Program, call 860-679-4006
For information on Connecticut DCF's foster care and adoption services, click here. To access the National Council for Adoption's foster care and adoption resources, click here.
READING LIST:
Hartford Courant: 'Good Dads' Not Qutie Done With Parenting - "The rest of society had not quite caught up with the idea of a gay professional couple raising children. Nor were all of their gay friends entirely open to it."
The Atlantic: America Soured on My Multiracial Family - "Before we adopted, we of course knew that there has long been political opposition to transracial adoption. In 1972 the National Association of Black Social Workers famously declared white adoption of black children to be a form of “cultural genocide.” But that was decades ago. By the 21st century, American churches were fully engaged in an adoption movement. Families continued to adopt domestically, but they also reached out (like we did) overseas."
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
