Tag: adoptive families

May 19

Equal Access to Original Birth Certificates

Did you know that not all persons over the age of 18 who were adopted in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may access their original birth certificates without court intervention, or going on a “search?” Why? Currently, M.G.L.ch 46 s. 2B prevents those adoptees that were born between July 17, 1974 and December 31, 2007 from …

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Apr 28

What’s A Grandparent To Do?

If it seems as though Grandparent Issues have been on my mind as of late, it is true. Becoming a grandparent myself was like looking into a kaleidoscope: with just an ever-so-slight twist, the landscape is different and perhaps more complicated. One would think that on becoming a grandparent, all of the fun and indulging …

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Mar 13

Sex is Notice: The Cure for Every Adoptive Parent’s Nightmare

As an adoptive parent, I know that the biggest nightmare for parents after finalization of the adoption is the possibility of a birth parent challenging the adoption. Recently, I had the opportunity to help a couple that had adopted several years earlier, and that was potentially facing just such a challenge. Fortunately, in that case, …

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Oct 02

Gestational Carriers: The Wild Frontier

I recently represented a married couple who wanted to adopt a child soon to be born to a gestational carrier, and who stepped in when the relationship between the carrier and the intended parents of the child drastically went wrong. The gestational carrier had been implanted with an egg fertilized with the intended father’s sperm, …

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Nov 11

Overcoming Interstate Adoption Issues

A. What is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children? The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (“ICPC”) is a federal law which establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children. The ICPC is premised on the belief that children requiring out-of-state placement will receive the same protections and …

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Nov 11

Following Ethical Guidelines in Adoption Law

Identifying Conflicts of Interests The goal in any adoption is to ensure that each participant’s rights are protected, that each fully understands the implications of the process and the placement to be a permanent one. A placement can unravel quickly if ethical guidelines are given short shrift. This can lead to the voiding the surrender …

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Nov 11

Offering the Different Adoption Options

A. Private Placement Adoptions There are several ways to adopt a child in Massachusetts: through a private agency, a public agency, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (“DCF”), if adopting a child through foster care or without either in limited circumstances where the child is a relative. Private placement adoptions are adoptions which are …

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