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Showing posts with label #WHYICWAMATTERS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #WHYICWAMATTERS. Show all posts
The witness list for the hearing on Thursday morning includes Aurene Martin, the Secretary for the National Indian Child Welfare Association.
Martin, an attorney and citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa Indians, is a longtime advocate for tribal child welfare
programs.
“Across the country, tribal nations are redesigning their human services
programs to better reflect their values, strengthen family engagement
and improve outcomes,” Martin told the House Subcommittee on Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies last Tuesday. “And these efforts are working in child welfare.”
“Many tribes and urban Native organizations are using Indian Child
Welfare Act (ICWA) funds to support culturally based prevention
services, services that strengthen families and reduce the need for
foster care,” Martin said on March 17.
Martin’s testimony last week, along with the hearing this week, are part of the work that the House Committee on Appropriations
is undertaking to prepare the fiscal year 2027 funding bills for
federal agencies. The Interior subcommittee’s bill includes ICWA at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is part of the Department of the Interior.
BISMARCK
— With the passage this week of a budget bill amendment that would
allocate funding to specialized courts throughout the state, the
Northeast Judicial District is one step closer to establishing an Indian
Child Welfare Act Court in North Dakota.
The
$125,292 allocation was previously removed from SB 2002, but after
being asked to reconsider, the Education and Environment Division of
House Appropriations added it back into the budget during a Tuesday
committee hearing.
"If
this is implemented, we would be the first ICWA Court in North Dakota —
really addressing those unique needs of Native American families and
upholding the intent of the law, which is to preserve those cultural
connections and family unity whenever possible," said Heather Traynor,
who works for the North Dakota Supreme Court's court improvement
program. She testified in favor of the funding allocation.
Though
they make up approximately 6% of the state's population, Indigenous
youth account for 26% of its foster care population, Traynor said. There
have been many efforts throughout the last 15 years to determine how
this disproportionate rate can be reduced.
Traynor, and others, believe ICWA court could be an answer.
The
ICWA, a federal law established in the 1970s, was a response to the
"unwarranted removal of Indian children from their families and tribal
communities in alarming numbers," according to the ICWA Law Center, an
Indigenous legal services nonprofit organization.
Highlights
of the act include recognizing tribal sovereignty, preserving
Indigenous families and recognizing tribal and familial connections.
It
requires higher levels of engagement to keep families together and, if
that is not possible, to keep them within or otherwise connected to
their communities, Traynor said.
The act describes placement preferences for Indigenous children as the following, in order of preference:
A member of the child's extended family;
an Indigenous foster home licensed, approved or specified by the child's tribe;
an Indigenous foster home licensed or approved by an authorized non-Indigenous licensing authority; or
an
institution for children that is approved by a tribe, or operated by an
Indigenous organization, and has a program suitable for the child's
needs.
The
ICWA does not apply to all Indigenous youth. Rather, it applies to
those who either are enrolled with a tribe or are eligible for
enrollment, Traynor said.
"With
ICWA, we look to protect the best interests of Native American
children, and prevent unnecessary removal," she said. "That's why it was
put into place. But it's important that we focus on these efforts once
they are removed, so that they can maintain that cultural connection
with their Native American families and communities."
Across
the 23 states that have established their own ICWA courts as an
intervention tool, the goal of timely permanency has been found to be
more attainable, Traynor said.
Permanency
is a living situation that is permanent and stable, and ideally
preserves existing familial connections, according to the Child Welfare
website, an official website of the Children's Bureau and Child Welfare
Information Gateway.
Benefits
of an ICWA court would include the opportunity for a more family-based
approach with earlier intervention and consistency in scheduling that
would allow for a tribal presence at hearings, Traynor said.
Jimmy Carter holds an upstanding legacy for his work in the humanities, foreign policy and for Indigenous Peoples. (MM File)
PLAINS, G.A – Former U.S.
President Jimmy Carter recently passed away at the age of 100 at his
home on December 19, 2024. Carter leaves behind a complex legacy among
Americans and Indian Country alike. Elected in 1977, Carter oversaw many
challenges throughout his presidency including stagflation, the Iranian
Hostage crisis, and an energy crisis. Triumphs of Carter’s presidency
include negotiating the Camp David Accords, signing the Alaska National
Interest Lands Conservation Act and many major pieces of legislation
that continue to benefit Indigenous peoples today.
Born in the small town of Plains, GA,
Carter was born on what was formally the homelands of the Mvskoke
people. Carter was the first U.S. President born in a hospital, and
remained a resident of Plains for most of his life. He served in the
U.S. Senate and served a term as Georgia’s governor, however one of his
most well-known professions was peanut farming.
In Indian Country Carter is most well
known for signing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the American
Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA). The former protects Native
American children by giving adoption preference to their families, then
their tribe if there are no family members available. The latter gave
Native Americans the freedom to exercise their traditional religions by
worshiping through ceremonial and traditional rites.
President Carter’s legacy among
Indigenous people is also known to Panamainians. In 1978 Carter
successfully negotiated the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which transferred
ownership of the Panama Canal to the Nation of Panama after years of
tension.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb
Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) shared that Carter was a man of service, and
left a deep impact on Indian Country.
“President Jimmy Carter exemplified
what it means to live a life of faith and service to others,” Secretary
Haaland said. “His love for and conservation of our shared public lands
leaves a tremendous legacy, and I am grateful that the Department will
continue to honor his work at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
for generations to come. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family
and the global community as we all mourn this selfless public servant.”
In a public statement, Muscogee
(Creek) Nation Principal Chief David Hill expressed condolences for the
former president’s family. The statement reads,
“The
Muscogee Nation is saddened to learn of the passing of President Jimmy
Carter, a dedicated and selfless public servant and statesman, who lived
a full life of 100 years.
President Carter signed two
monumental pieces of legislation for Indian Country into law in 1978,
with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the American Indian
Religious Freedom Act. ICWA has been an enduring protection for Native
families and children and the AIRF, gave our ceremonial grounds and
others the confidence to hold onto and perpetuate their traditions.
MVTO President Carter for your contributions and your compassion and commitment to the betterment of your fellow man.”
A six day funeral observance is
currently underway celebrating the former president’s life. The
observance began in Americus, Georgia where Carter was born, and made
its way to his hometown in Plains, then made its way to Atalanta where
he served as governor. Carter’s remains will travel to Washington where a
national service happened on Jan. 9.
A quote from the book WHAT JUST HAPPENED, which includes my interviews with John Trudell
By Trace Hentz, blog editor
I had emails right after the election (Trump won) and I was asked about how this could impact Indigenous Sovereign Tribal Nations here in the US.
Trump obviously doesn't know our history. There is no sign that he cares, unless it can make him money or gain him prestige and power.
His first term was defined as SURREAL
So, yes, it could impact every one of us in some way - for good or for bad. For one, tribal nations will not have a seat at the table, judging by Trump's last term. (Sadly, the Department of the Interior will no longer have a Native (Secretary Deb Haaland) running it.) Trump will not convene any Tribal Summits, even though we are sovereign and deserve a voice and a seat at the table.
How about his type of corruption? His financial ties and connections to oil and gas industries in exchange for permits to DRILL DRILL DRILL could impact every state, especially Alaska!
“The policies enacted during President Trump’s first term played a
crucial role in this growth and innovation. By reducing regulatory
burdens, his administration allowed energy companies to focus on
production and innovation rather than navigating an endless stream of
rules from Washington bureaucrats. In contrast, the Biden-Harris
administration has been far more aggressive than even the Obama
administration in undermining domestic oil and gas production,” the
alliance said. MORE HERE
BACKWARDS? Yup, in reverse, we will be back to THE GREAT WHITE FATHER making new rules and breaking and bending treaties, again.
Another possibility is Trump would terminate tribes, like what happened over 40+ years ago. I remember when I was editor of the Pequot Times that Trump played a part in the denial of federal recognition for the Eastern Pequot and the Schaghticoke tribes in Connecticut. Both tribes had tried over many years to petition the federal government for recognition, and regain the land they deserved to be declared their reservations. (At one point there were over 200 tribes in that situation, stuck in limbo and petitioning for federal recognition.)
Remember that every treaty ever written was broken.
Termination ended federal recognition of affected tribes and the
federal aid and services that came with that recognition. It also ended
federal trust status for affected reservations and the protections
granted by such status. In many cases, termination meant the transfer of
federal jurisdiction over criminal and civil matters on reservationsto
state authorities as well. (REMEMBER: House Concurrent Resolution 108 called for termination “at the
earliest possible time” of all American Indian tribes in California,
Florida, New York, and Texas, as well as termination for specific tribes
in other states, including “the Flathead Tribe of Montana, the Klamath
Tribe of Oregon, the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, the Potowatamie Tribe
of Kansas and Nebraska, and those members of the Chippewa Tribe who are
on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota.”)
It was devastating, beyond what anyone could have imagined. (Like the Dawes Act!)
It took the tribes like Grand Ronde in Oregon many years to be recognized again, to be regarded and treated as Sovereign - costing these tribes their time and money and untold tragedy.
You see, it never ends. Domination never ends. Their demand for land and what is on the land, or under the land, never ends.
In 2020 I compiled a non-fiction book WHAT JUST HAPPENED concerning Trump's new presidency, because I had friends who were literally scared to death. The instability of the man, the crime boss Mafia mentality he displayed, the pathological liar who was our new president, this new phenomena was called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, or TDS. People were knocked off balance and literally in fear, scared. For good reason.
I know it's only one branch of government, yes, but in the past, almost all past presidents were a danger to us, and what is coming, has yet to be determined.
As far as future adoptees, ICWA is still our federal law. But sadly, even that could change!
With the election of President Donald Trump to serve
in his second term, the National Indian Child Welfare Association
released the following statement:
As the 2024 election results are nearly complete, we
recognize there is much at stake for our communities. At times, the
campaign rhetoric was divisive and raised important questions about how a
transition in leadership might impact our communities. While leadership
changes can often bring uncertainty and even anxiety, we have prepared
for this and are already planning how we will organize, educate, and
advocate for the needs and rights of Native children and families and
the protection of tribal sovereignty.
NICWA has navigated national leadership changes going
back to the 1980s, and we understand how to strategically and diligently
advocate for the rights and protection of Native children and families
in changing political environments. During some of the most challenging
times, we have found ways to protect and even advance resources and
rights for Native children and families. This included expanding our
network of allies—both Native and non-Native—and finding new ways to
communicate the importance of laws like the Indian Child Welfare Act,
which are crucial to the well-being of our communities.
NICWA values seeking opportunities to work in a
bipartisan manner and designing strategies that ensure support from both
parties. Our strength is the relationships we have within our
communities, leadership, and each other. We will continue our fight for
the protection of Native children and families with you as our most
valuable allies and partners.
**
Hey! We're SMART!
Let's keep watch. Like Trudell told us many times in many ways: we are resilient, sacred and ancient. We are not going anywhere.
Native American children in California’s foster care system are
frequently placed in non-relative, non-native homes. Although the U.S.
Supreme Court upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, ensuring child
welfare agencies investigate ancestry, contested cases still emerge. This story explores the long-standing issues and the ongoing fight to
protect Native foster care rights in California. Read the full story.
Native American children make up more than a third of the
foster care caseload in Montana, despite representing less than 10% of
the state’s child population. While there’s a broad consensus among
child welfare experts that this outsized representation is a problem,
there exists no collective strategy to address it. The Montana Free
Press series Keeping the Kids, supported by a data fellowship through the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism,
explores the available data and highlights examples of local solutions
around the state. This article focuses on MTFP’s analysis of the
available data and some of the factors contributing to racial
disproportionality in foster care.
In
October of last year, Montana Free Press started investigating why
Montana’s foster care caseload, which was at least 38% Native American
in 2022, is so racially skewed. Here’s how data shaped our reporting.
The Tribal Training and Certification Partnership at UMD trains social workers who work with Native American families.
In 1978, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act
(ICWA) in response to Native American children being removed from their
homes and placed in foster care at disproportionate rates. Despite
regulation, those rates have remained high. Today in Minnesota, Native
children are still 16 times more likely than white children to be placed
in foster care.
To address the issue, a two-day training program on ICWA was formed at UMD: The Tribal Training and Certification Partnership
(TTCP) trains incoming and current child protection workers in
Minnesota to work with Native families better. “Since January of 2020,
we have trained about 1600 county social workers,” said Larissa Littlewolf, associate director of the TTCP, and member of the Turtle Clan and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
The training is part of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.
It begins with a historical context of the US government's interactions
with Native families that have led to decades of trauma, followed by
lessons on how to comply with ICWA. Eventually, all county social
workers in Minnesota who work with child protection cases will be
mandated to go through the training.
“We’re really working on the
spirit of ICWA,” Littlewolf said. “Building relationships with families,
meeting them where they’re at.”
Native leaders said the high court’s decision to uphold ICWA “will be felt across generations.” Photo by Rosemary Stephens.
In 2018, the future of the Indian Child Welfare
Act was put in jeopardy by a case that would come to be known as
Brackeen v. Haaland. A federal district court judge ruled that the
45-year-old law known as ICWA was unconstitutional in its entirety. As
the case progressed, many supporters of the law — which is designed to
maintain the bonds between Native children and their families and tribes
— feared that the U.S. Supreme Court would gut or erase ICWA.
This June, the court did the opposite in a 7-2 ruling that strongly affirmed the Indian Child Welfare Act’s constitutionality.
“The bottom line is that we reject all of petitioners’ challenges to
the statute, some on the merits and others for lack of standing,” wrote
Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
The Imprint’s five years of coverage on the Brackeen case includes Nancy Marie Spears’ reporting on the arguments considered by the Supreme Court and the prayers and protests outside that day. And check out The Imprint Weekly Podcast episode from the week after the court’s decision for more insight from several leading experts on ICWA and tribal law.
But Spears’ reporting in 2023 went well beyond the Supreme Court
case. She profiled the Indigenous practices that ICWA is meant to
protect, such as the My Two Aunties program developed by a group of tribes in Southern California. Her recent three-part series, Born of History,
explores the ways in which the colonization of the past, and the
present constraints of federal funding, make it difficult for many
tribes to make full use of ICWA’s protections.
SD
Searchlight's Makenzie Huber and Argus Leader's Annie Todd interview
Governor Kristi Noem, DSS Secretary Matt Althoff and Tribal Secretary
Dave Flute about the state's indigenous child welfare laws on Tuesday,
Sept. 26, 2023 at South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota.
An Argus Leader/South Dakota Searchlight
investigation examined the issues Native families and children face
inside South Dakota’s child welfare system. Below, you can find our
findings and stories compiled.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case
Haaland v. Brackeen, defending the constitutionality of the Indian Child
Welfare Act (ICWA). On the surface, this case appeared to be concerned
with the protection of Indigenous children. However, more insidiously,
the case also turned on the issue of tribal sovereignty and had the
potential to severely limit the sovereignty of tribal nations. Three
sessions hosted by Cook County Higher Education will explore the settler
colonial origins of United States federal Indian policy, with a focus
on Ojibwe relations in the Great Lakes. These sessions will delve into
the social, political, and institutional structures that resulted from
this history.
This session and series are open to the community (and beyond).
Join Dr. Jacob Jurss as he guides us through the intricate history of
forced assimilation and genocidal policies, spanning from the early
20th century to the present day. Topics will encompass the painful
legacy of boarding schools, the trauma of family separations, the
influence of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), the urgent concerns
surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous women, and the ongoing
efforts of tribes to maintain their cultural identity, sovereignty, and
traditions in the face of historical and contemporary challenges.
Biography: Dr. Jacob Jurss is a scholar of early American history and
Indigenous treaty rights. He has taught at the University of Minnesota,
Morris, Metropolitan State University, University of St. Thomas, and
Macalester College, and is currently a faculty member at Century
Community College. His research examines intertribal relations between
the Ojibwe and Dakota and how those relations affected tribal diplomatic
relations with the United States. He resides in Saint Paul with his
wife and son, who are White Earth Ojibwe descendants.
In the 1960s, Zepeda’s grandmother protected her from being taken
away on an “assimilation vacation” in the San Francisco Bay Area, where
children would “learn how other families live” and potentially be
adopted away from their rightful families. Zepeda and her siblings lived
with a constant fear of being taken from their home, often being told
by their grandmother: “You better behave because if you don’t, white
people are going to take you away.” It wasn’t until 1978 that the Indian
Child Welfare Act prohibited the removal of Indigenous children from
their families.
Further alienating Indigenous people from their roots was the
repression of their spiritual beliefs and practices going back to the
1850s. Until the American Indian Religious Freedom Act passed in 1978,
many people practiced secretly while participating in mainstream
religion. For example, Zepeda’s great grandfather was a tribal medicine
person, but also an altar boy for a Catholic priest.
Owning land contributes to economic and societal stability as well as
long term wealth. While the United States government was obliged for
many generations to honor treaties and debts with native tribes, the
Termination Act of 1953 sought to disband tribes, sell their lands, and
relocate American Indians. For Zepeda, this meant that she was no longer
Indian and was not eligible to receive services from the Indian health
clinic. The policy also had long-term and devastating economic
consequences for tribal communities who lost their land.
In 1983 with Hardwick v. United States Government, Zepeda
was considered Indian once again. “We have reorganized and reestablished
ourselves.” Now, she lives again on the land that had been her
grandma’s.
For thousands of years, the Klamath Tribes have had a deep physical and spiritual connection to southern Oregon. But in 1954, the U.S. government took over their tribal lands there.
The trauma of losing their land, and the racism and discrimination they confronted in the years after, are at the root of health challenges that still affect tribal members at higher rates than other ethnic and racial groups in Oregon. Monica YellowOwl, a prevention specialist for Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services, and other tribal members are working to restore their people’s connection to the land in order to improve their physical and mental health.
“We don’t always want to be seen as the traumatized Indians. We want to be seen as resilient Indians, powerful people, connected to our homeland, practicing our traditions and our cultures,” Monica says.
Place Matters Oregon is an effort of the Oregon Health Authority to get people talking about how place affects our health—as individuals and as a community. Check out the link above to explore more connections between place and health and join the conversation.
As Arlene Ballot prepares to finally pick up her murdered daughter’s
child from the couple who have had her for most of her 4 years of life,
she can be forgiven for being cautiously optimistic about actually
bringing Chanel home.
The July 17 decision to award Ballot custody is the second time the
Selawik Tribal Court in Alaska has ordered Chanel, an indigenous child,
to be returned to her grandmother. Nikki Richman, who is not related to
Chanel, gained temporary custody through the child’s father, Eric
Rustad, who murdered Chanel’s mother Kristen Huntington in January 2020.
"This is three years too long. They shouldn't be allowed to keep
dragging it on, abusing the court system to keep this child from her
grandmother," Antonia Commack, Huntington’s friend since childhood who
is also involved in the legal battle, tells PEOPLE. "I knew in my heart
that being quiet was wrong and it was time to speak up."
And a recent Supreme Court decision might add some extra weight going forward.
The week before the latest Selawik Tribal Court ruling, The Supreme Court upheld
the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which says the first priority is to
put the child in the care of a member of their extended family. If that
is not possible, the child should be placed with a member of their
tribe. The third option is to look for "other Indian families." Only
after those three options have been exhausted will they be eligible to
be placed with a non-Native family.
In their December ruling, the Selawik Tribal Court found tribal elder
Ballot able to meet the child’s needs and, in addition, "can better
connect her to her Native culture."
This
podcast, we are exploring the central role that Native peoples have
played in the development of the United States, while facing legal
discrimination that goes all the way back to the country's founding
documents. Professor of Law Matthew L.M. Fletcher gives us the context
around the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Indian Child Welfare
Act. And Ned Blackhawk discusses his new book, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History,
which tells the history of the United States, emphasizing how Native
Americans have been essential to determining that history.
The ACLU submitted an amicus brief
in the case, and has been following the issue closely because of the
profound threat it poses to Indigenous communities, particularly
federally recognized tribes in the United States. In light of this
victory at the Supreme Court, we are now urging states to take action
and introduce or strengthen existing state-level ICWA protections.
WASHINGTON — The Indian Child Welfare Act lives on courtesy of a 7 -2 high court decision
— a much better outcome than anxious tribal advocates had hoped. Justice Amy Coney Barrett writes for the majority. Justice Neil Gorsuch
provides strong concurring opinion. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel
Alito dissent. Read all 133 pages here.
Tribal sovereignty, American Indian children and families widely viewed as biggest winners.
If we lost ICWA, let's look at South Dakota. How are they doing? Terrible! Also not good, I have posted on this website many times their failures to protect Native kids from predators called social workers and missionaries.
Why ICWA matters there seems pretty obvious: Kids are screwed without it.
One of the commission’s recommendations implemented by the
legislature was to address kinship placements. Kinship placements refers
to keeping children with relatives, which Mousseau said can minimize
the trauma experienced by the child.
Following the implementation of preference for kinship placements,
DSS found that there was an increase of 25% of such placements for all
children between July of 2004 and June of 2005.
According to data requested by Foster, there are still large gaps of the number of children, Native and non-Native, that are placed with relatives.
During the session, Democratic Representative Peri Pourier introduced House Bill 1229 to address such placements. The bill died in the House Judiciary committee.
Mousseau said that kinship placements are important to the long-term
wellbeing of children, especially when it comes to delinquency and
recidivism.
“It is a practice in social work that has been shown to have amazing
effects,” Mousseau said. “And we wanted all the children of South Dakota
to have the opportunity to be placed with their relatives. That didn’t
even make it out of committee.”
From poverty to prison
Data
from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect shows that in
2020, 95% of Native children affected by maltreatment were experiencing
neglect compared to 86% of their non-Native peers. The data also showed
that Native children face higher rates of abandonment and parents with
substance abuse issues.
“Being born and raised in one of the most poorest counties in the
United States, I can tell you that neglect looks a lot like poverty,”
Pourier told House lawmakers on Wednesday.
South Dakota is home to some of the poorest counties in the country, many of which are on tribal land.
Pourier and Mousseau say the impact of poverty and neglect in
childhood connect directly to crime and the overflowing prisons in South
Dakota.
“South Dakota is funding more prisons because there’s a need but we
go further upstream, there’s that need because of policies to remove
children that dates back, which is why ICWA came into effect in 1978 and
it has been in effect since,” Mousseau said.
As of January 31, 2023, Native American women outnumbered women of
other races in South Dakota’s prisons. Additionally, nearly 33% of the
male inmates in state prisons are Native American.
Mousseau said addressing the disproportionate rates of Native
children in foster care, specifically those not placed with kin, can
better address issues of crime and substance abuse.
“As you can imagine being removed from your family and being placed
outside of your family, which a lot of Indian children are, that’s
traumatic. That has dramatic effects on somebody who has to experience
it and their children, right, their brains are still developing there,”
Mousseau explained. “And we know from the Adverse Childhood Experiences
Study that, you know, those early traumatic experiences in children’s
lives leads to negative health outcomes, run ins with the law, you know,
substance use. Look up the ACEs study, that that has been
foundational.”
Congress originally enacted ICWA after
learning of the large number of American Indian children being removed
from their households into non-tribal families and institutions.
Sept. 25, 2026 | Relatives walk to remember, church denounces Native beliefs & more
Bookshop
You are not alone
To Veronica Brown
Veronica, we adult adoptees are thinking of you today and every day. We will be here when you need us. Your journey in the adopted life has begun, nothing can revoke that now, the damage cannot be undone. Be courageous, you have what no adoptee before you has had; a strong group of adult adoptees who know your story, who are behind you and will always be so.
Diane Tells His Name
click photo
Lost Birds on Al Jazeera Fault Lines
click to read and listen about Trace, Diane, Julie and Suzie
NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS
click image
We conclude this series & continue the conversation by naming that adoption is genocide. This naming refers to the process of genocide that breaks kinship ties through adoption & other forms of family separation & policing 🧵#NAAM2022#AdoptionIsTraumaAND#AdopteeTwitter#FFY 1/6 pic.twitter.com/46v0mWISZ1
As the single largest unregulated industry in the United States, adoption is viewed as a benevolent action that results in the formation of “forever families.” The truth is that it is a very lucrative business with a known sales pitch. With profits last estimated at over $1.44 billion dollars a year, mothers who consider adoption for their babies need to be very aware that all of this promotion clouds the facts and only though independent research can they get an accurate account of what life might be like for both them and their child after signing the adoption paperwork.
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