Joseph Brean | September 13, 2011 A Saskatchewan judge has ruled that a woman who gave birth to a baby girl in 2009 is not actually the child’s mother, in a decision that exposes the gap between legislation and reality in modern parenthood. “It’s tough for the legislators to keep up, and this is a […]
Australia’s Roman Catholic Church apologises for forced adoptions
By Bonnie Malkin, Sydney Australia’s Roman Catholic Church has issued an apology for its role in the forced adoptions of babies from unmarried mothers during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, a practise that has been described as a “national disgrace”. It is estimated that more than 150,000 young women across Australia had their children taken […]
Liberals pass law to ease adoption of Crown wards
By: Laurie Monsebraaten Social Justice Reporter, Published on Wed Jun 01 2011 Ontario passes legislation to remove legal barriers that trap most of the province’s 9,000 Crown wards in foster care with no hope of adoption. Queen’s Park has removed legal barriers that trap most of the province’s 9,000 Crown wards in foster care with […]
Canadian parents wary as China confronts baby trafficking
by Leslie MacKinnon Posted: May 25, 2011 When Cathy Wagner of Bridgewater, N.S., heard a CBC story last week about babies stolen from their families several years ago in Hunan province, her reaction was that nothing has changed. She’s the mother of a 5-year-old girl adopted from the same region in China. “It’s like a […]
Exhibit features babies unwed mothers gave up
GRIMSBY — The Grimsby Public Art Gallery is showcasing an installation that honours the lives of unwed mothers and the babies they gave up in the early and mid 20th century. Foundling, by Michele Karch-Ackerman, is an exhibition that sheds light on a secret chapter in Canadian history: the stories of young women who were […]
Ont. Ombudsman Probes Children’s Aid Society
The provincial ombudsman will now be able to look into any complaints about a cash-strapped Children’s Aid Society in southwestern Ontario. Andre Marin’s office said the ombudsman has jurisdiction over the Huron-Perth Children’s Aid Society, now that the provincial government has appointed a supervisor for the agency. Children and Youth Services Minister Laurel Broten announced […]
WA Parliament apologises to mothers forced to give up babies
Updated Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:01pm AEDT The West Australian Parliament has formally apologised to the unmarried women who were pressured to adopt out their babies between the 1940s and 1980s. More than 100 people packed the public gallery to witness the apology and applauded the Premier when he finished his speech. Colin Barnett acknowledged […]
Nanaimo-born woman’s search for sperm-donor dad goes to court
Born through artificial insemination, Olivia Pratten is fighting to have the Adoption Act declared unconstitutional so that children conceived by sperm donors can find out who their father is. Olivia Pratten’s battle to learn the identity of her biological father — an anonymous sperm donor — went to court Monday with her lawyer arguing she […]
Adoption records spell heartbreak and happiness
May 31, 2010 Living Reporter Nicole Baut The past year has been emotional for many adults who were adopted in Ontario, and for their parents, both biological and adoptive. On June 1, 2009, Ontario opened its adoption records, after a 30-year fight launched by members of the adoption community. Adult adoptees and biological mothers could […]
Unmarried Mums Get State Apology
DANIEL EMERSON, The West Australian September 1, 2010, 6:32 am The State’s apology to unmarried mothers illegally separated from their babies under harsh adoption practices is set to happen within weeks. WA is to become the first State or Federal government worldwide to admit hospital and welfare authorities were wrong to immediately separate mothers from […]