Direct from Rep. Dohertys office:
Thursday Feb 17th, 2011
We recently had a meeting including some, but not all of the stakeholders involved in this process. The bill in its current form will not be moving forward, however Rep Doherty is hoping to gather a group of stakeholders through either a formal or informal work group process to discuss the opportunities for common ground as well as the lingering issues. As identified in the meeting, some of these overaching issues include:
· Adoption has many competing needs, biological parents, adoptive parents, and the child (and often the adoption agency/financially invested parties).
· Make sure birth mothers have adequate counseling/information to know what their rights are without taking that opportunity away from birth parents who are ready to make the decision, also ensuring adoptive parents are not penalized
· Clear statutory framework for making decisions and revocation (time to decide and process)
· Oversight/monitoring of adoption agencies/processes
· Ensure availability/knowledge of adequate counseling
· Ensure availability/knowledge of independent representation/legal counsel
· Stability for child, biological AND adoptive parents
· Fiscal concerns – increasing work load/process for court staff
If you are interested in playing an active role (attending meetings, providing policy input) in this conversation please let me know and I will add you to our list as we find a way to incorporate all the necessary voices into the conversation in a constructive, respectful manner.
House District 35
Tigard, King City, SW Portland
503) 986-1435
rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us
