Help Baby Talon!

We've all be watching the news and saw the upsetting story of the little boy that is only 3/16 NA, but was sent to his tribe because his birth mom changed her mind. Because she is a heroin addict she cannot get him back so he is going to the foster home. Not only is this unfair to the adoptive family, it is unfair to this sweet baby who is being taken from a stable, loving family. I was given the link to his mother's blog where details are shared of his story from the very beginning. Please read it help in any way you can.

http://www.talonsadoption.blogspot.com/

Here is a link that tells more about ICWA:

http://glossary.adoption.com/indian-child-welfare-act-of-1978.html

Under ICWA tribes have the ability to take a child back for 7 years after placement! We need to pass better laws to prevent this from happening to anyone else. The very most important part of adoption is to put the best interest of the child first. That is not what happened in this case. If you read Heather Larson's blog you will see that the baby is being used as a pawn by both the tribe and the birth mother.

If we want the laws to change we can't just sit back and cry. We have to do something to make it happen. It's going to take not only adoptive couples, but many, many people to come forward asking for change. What I am asking you to do is contact your state senators (if you are in Utah this is Hatch and Bennett- think Bennett for Senate). Write to them explaining why you want the laws to be changed. Ask them to sponsor legislation that would more narrowly define what consitutues a Native American Child for the purposes of adoption and to look at the cases individually to keep the child's best interest in mind.

To see more on this story click here: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5066749

Thanks everyone!

Elizabeth Reed