Over the past two weeks, we witnessed a beautiful and emotional journey come to life, and we are filled with gratitude for the compassionate team at Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center.
Nine months after we were approved for adoption, the phone rang. Holy Family had a birth mother they wanted us to meet. I was so stunned that this had finally happened that it took me a moment before turning to my husband and saying, “I think a birth mother wants to meet us.” We had…
In California, the Safe Surrender law only applies to the relinquishment of a child up to three days old. If you need more time to decide whether you are ready to be a parent, or you have decided to relinquish a child who is more than three days old, there are several options available to you. This guide will help you understand what options are available for parents of children of any age.
There are important differences between surrendering a child for adoption under California’s Safe Surrender law, and working with an adoption agency like HFS to place a child for adoption. Safe Surrender: This is a process in which a parent can legally and anonymously surrender their newborn baby at a designated Safe Surrender site, which is…
Interracial adoption, also known as transracial adoption, occurs when a family of one race or ethnicity adopts a child of a different race or ethnicity. While the idea of interracial adoption may seem straightforward, it raises complex issues about race, culture, identity, and family dynamics. The practice of interracial adoption has a long history. In…
My connection to adoption is lifelong. My older sister is adopted, and it was such a normal thing in our family’s life that as a child, I remember thinking every family must have an adopted child in it. After our first son was born, my husband and I worked with HFS to adopt our second son, who has grown into a wonderful, mature, kind, intelligent, athletic, empathetic 23-year-old young man.
Most of the adoption process is a private matter. Adoptive parents make the choice to form a family through adoption, a birth parent makes the decision to choose adoption for their child, and the HFS social worker staff members shepherd everyone through a complex and exacting process. However, when it comes to the relinquishment and…
Have you ever wondered what happens during the Adoption finalization process? For those of us who aren’t familiar, the finalization of a child’s adoption marks the finish line of the adoptive parent and child’s journey. When a court issues a decree of adoption, your relationship as parent and child is permanently and legally bound. Finalization…