Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the adoption process is one that should not be entered into lightly and one that professionals should take great responsibility ethically in providing necessary services to the birth parents who are considering entering into an adoption proceeding. The inequity of adoption laws are historically noted in this work as well as the failure of the legal system in protecting the birth parent from suffering associated with denial of information as to her child's well being. It is the belief of the researcher that provisions for adult disclosure of birth parent information and identification should be inclusive in laws and regulations governing adoptions in order to protect the individual who has everything to lose, and specifically for protection of the birth parent.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Statement of Thesis
Literature Review
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper
"The rights of the birthparents should be given the most weight in the adoption process as compared to the adoptive parents. While the adoptive parents have much to gain, the birthparents are those who have much to lose if the adoption process is not handled properly, ethically, according to prescribed laws, and responsively as to the psychological needs of the birthparents who are giving up their child for adoption. The intention of the birthparents who give up the child for adoption generally is one that is noble and is directly based upon a decision to allow the child the opportunity for a better life than the birthparent is able to provide. However, after the child has become an adult, the goal of adoption has been successfully concluded and there should be no reason whatsoever that the birthparent and child should be hidden from one another legally."

Tags:adoption, child, mother, family, infant

Abstract
This well-researched paper analyzes the role and rights of the biological father in adoption proceedings, while drawing upon an examination of relevant case laws. This paper details the history of the adoption process which was legally recognized in the U.S. in the 1850s, with the inception of the first adoption statute. The writer of this in-depth paper examines the Supreme Court's recognition and willingness to recognize and expand the rights of biological fathers in cases of adoption and / or custody matters. This paper provides a general overview regarding the current status of unwed fathers' adoption rights. This paper examines California law pertaining to the rights of the biological father. This paper discusses California's current stance on the issue, which is that the courts utilize the best interests of the child standard when considering whether the biological father presents a substantial risk of detriment to the child's well-being. While the other hand, other courts have argued that the best interests of the child standard should no longer be the primary consideration in the determination of whether the court should terminate an unwed biological father's rights. This paper cites numerous case studies containing relevant information to this particular topic. This paper details the case of Pena vs. Mattox, in which the biological father argued that his due process rights were violated when his parental rights were terminated by the adoption of his child. The writer contends and explains why are there are no clear guidelines establishing how courts should decide adoption cases involving fathers' rights, and as a result these rights have slowly evolved in favor of the father.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
General Adoption Information / History
A Father's Constitutional Rights
California Courts & Adoption Law
Role of the Supreme Court & The Present Status of Biological Father's Rights
Future of the Adoption Process
Bibliography
Cases Cited

From the Paper
"Whatever method courts decide to use, it is of paramount importance that these disputes be resolved in a quick and efficient manner. Dragging custody disputes out over long periods of time only serves to cause emotional harm to everyone involved, especially to the child whose future hangs in limbo while the case slowly moves through the courts. By implementing a uniform system of deciding these cases, forum shopping will be avoided. Consequently, multiple courts will no longer be asked to hear the same case, as happened in the Baby Jessica case. This will surely lead to faster adjudication and resolution of these disputes and, consequently, to less psychological trauma to the children caught in the middle."

Tags:rights, law, parent, child, legal, biological, adoption, case

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that there are approximately 120,000 adoptions in the United States each year, many of which are successfully completed. However, the writer points out that while substantial amounts succeed, nearly twenty percent disrupt before legalization can occur. The writer maintains that this is due, in part, to the high level of rights retained by the biological parents in adoption cases. This paper discusses the rights of biological parents and the court's reasoning for upholding these rights. The writer then looks at the consequences of such rights to adoptive parents. This shows that while adoptive parents do hold some right to their new child, the biological parents have far more rights during the adoption process, and even following birth.

From the Paper
"The consequences for the adoptive parents can be devastating. In open adoption cases, where the adoptive parents have provided monetary support, physician care, and other necessities to the biological mother, a pre-birth consent is still not binding. This means the time, money, and effort exerted by the adoptive parents may be for nothing, clearly showing the biological mother's rights to be valued higher than those of the adoptive parents. Even in agency adoptions, the adoptive parents are forced to relinquish the child if the biological parent revokes consent, even if the child has already been placed within the home."

Tags:biological, parent, adoptive, child

Abstract
In this paper the author examines the rights and wrongs involved in revealing the true identity of the birth mother of an adopted child.He considers both sides of the discussion for and against in revealing the truth and how it can effect all the parties involved. The paper highlights all of the important emotional and medical issues that are at hand here and concludes with the importance of telling the truth to prevent further problems.

From the Paper
" There is obviously an emotional attachment or detachment to the idea of identifying and even meeting one's birth mother. Some are surely angry, even though their adoptive parents have been to them what their biological mother could not provide. Often the first bitter question is "Why did you get rid of me?" To others, the sardonic display of cold emotion would surely presage the sort of remark "My living parents obviously care enough about me to give me things you didn't want to."

Tags:pregnat, genetic, disease, unwanted, young, parents

Abstract
This paper explains that modern adoption policy is as much a part of the general ideas about social welfare as it is about the right of a family to raise a child that is not originally its own. The author points out that, in the beginning, the heart of the process by which adoption policy developed in the U.S. did not entail questions of "marginal" groups or individuals possessing adoption rights but, rather, the attitude of society to the very idea of creating "fictive kin". The paper relates that the old concept of matching children with potential parents is no longer a question of find a child, which is nearly identical biological and social "copies" of the parents, because America has become racially and ethnically diverse and follows values which emphasize serving each individual child in the best way.

From the Paper
"Yet, as the child welfare movement began to gather strength, a new attitude developed. Increasingly, children living in certain "substandard" conditions were seen as deserving something "better." Those who did not possess the resources to care for their children, or who abused their children, or raised them in a manner inconsistent with contemporary middle-class values, might find their children being taken away from them. For the first time, the once inviolable bond between biological parent and child was being broken."

Tags:inheritance, motherhood, rights, copies, values

Abstract
The paper discusses the arguments against allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt, that are based primarily on religious reasons and on the contention that growing up under two same sex parents will be damaging to the natural psychological and biological development of the child. The paper then presents research that children can lead normal and healthy lives without the every day influence of both genders working together and they can thrive without a heterosexual environment. The paper also notes the benefits of adoption for the couple to achieve a relatively normal family life. The paper strongly contends that gay and lesbian couples can offer millions of orphaned children the luxury of a happy home and truly caring parents.

From the Paper
"The process and statutes involved in same sex adoption policies vary greatly from state to state as well as within the minds and opinions of Americans across the country. Before a major taboo, the practice has become more common with less state restrictions across the United States. In cases where the states allow legal marriage between same sex partners, adoption laws are easier for same sex couples. Being legally married provides benefits within the adoption process that help the couple beyond the simple civil unions seen in other states where same sex marriage is not yet a legal practice; "The legal definition of marriage does not exist in isolation; changing it alters many areas of the law. For example, the definition of marriage plays an important role in the law of adoption, education, employee benefits, employment discrimination, government contracts and subsidies, taxation, tort law, and trusts and estates," (Severino 2007:941). Thus, states such as Vermont, where gay marriage is a legal practice, allow for an easier process during a gay or lesbian couple's path towards adoption. However, this does not prohibit all gay and lesbian couples living in states with legal restrictions on same sex marriage from adopting as well, the process is just made more complicated."

Tags:gender, same-sex, marriage, religion

Abstract
This paper discusses the current state of same sex parenting rights in the U.S.A., beginning with a brief history of same sex parenting rights. The paper describes how in the past, same sex couples frequently had their rights to parent disrupted by courts that focused on sexual orientation above all else. In principle, this simplistic denial of rights has now been superseded by a more balanced approach which weighs all aspects pertinent to children's best interests.

From the Paper
"This essay examines the current state of same sex parenting rights in the U.S.A., beginning with a brief history of same sex parenting rights. As will be shown, in the past same sex couples frequently had their rights to parent disrupted by courts that focused on sexual orientation above all else. In principle, this simplistic denial of rights has now been superseded by a more balanced approach which weighs all aspects pertinent to children's best interests. Notwithstanding this, it seems that same sex couples and their children still remain disproportionately at risk of having their rights to parent disrupted by courts. In addition, same sex..."

Tags:gay, lesbian, parents

Abstract
This paper explains that getting a divorce from one's parents is an extension of the principle that children are legally competent to identify their own best interests in major decisions such as issues regarding education, abortion and foster care. The author points out that the child should have to show proof that he or she has tried counseling and available services for reconciliation and resolving the conflict before seeking a divorce. The paper argues that the child's basic rights take precedence over competing claims and considerations, are self-authenticating and are not based on duties: Parents do not have a fundamental right to determine the course of their child's life.

From the Paper
"The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by every country except the United States and Somalia. The U.S. and Somalia refused because they though it was too radical and that the Convention was hostile to the rights of parents. Canada, however, did sign in 1990 and then undertook at all levels of government to abide by its entitlements. Critics point out, and it's true, that the Convention subverts absolute parental authority over their children. Opponents cry it will lead to child anarchy, but the idea that parents own their children has eroded in recent years, and the Convention found it to be paternalistic."

Tags:competent, mediation, necessities, exploitation, parents

Abstract
This paper discusses the controversy surrounding two groups of people - gay parents and women who want to have an abortion. The paper discusses the arguments for and against the individual rights of the two groups and attempts to find the heart of the debate. The paper discusses why there is such controversy surrounding these groups.

Table of Contents:
Gay Parenting
Woman's Rights and Abortion

From the Paper
"In the light of the complexity of this issue, there can be very little if any compromise between two sides. Both sides have some valid points of view. The issue of abortion is related in many cases to gender rights and the rights of women over her reproduction. On the other hand, one cannot escape the fact that human life is at stake, no matter how one argues about when life actually begins. This point is also related to the issue of fundamental human rights. The right to life is basic and if this aspect is not respected, then other human rights become empty of meaning. Therefore, in the final analysis, there can be little conclusive reconciliation better these two extreme views on abortion. There can however be some areas of compromise where there are extenuating circumstances, such as rape or disease, and where the life of the mother may be in danger."

Tags:gender, human rights, equality

Abstract
This paper describes the traditional nuclear family as a mother, a working father and their biological or adopted descendants. The paper then summarizes the history of this family model. The paper then points out that there are also alternative family types such as childless families, same-sex or opposite-sex partners, families with same-sex parents, single parents, grandparents and a variety of relatives and friends and that the most common nuclear family today consists of two working parents. The paper concludes that, despite the fact that the myth of the model family is challenged on many fronts within society, it continues to exist as a strongly held belief within society.

From the Paper
"These variations in the format of families with respect to roles provide a great deal of information about changes in gender role behaviours within the family context over history. While it used to be expected that women would perform household duties and childcare, while men took care of the financial aspects of a family's existence, today it is much more common for the division of labour not to be arbitrarily determined by gender. Despite this, women do still complete the majority of housework and childcare within the United States."

Tags:generations survival same-sex, right winged conservatives, diversity