EQUALITY FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE ADOPTION: THE ARGUMENT OF SHORT TERM DISBILITY
When one gives birth to a child they can qualify and receive short term disability insurance among their maternity leave. Short term disability insurance pays a percentage of one’s salary for those who become disabled, by an illness or injury that is not related to work. While Short Term Disability cover mothers who give birth, it “does not cover a mother who has adopted as they are not deemed “disabled”.” While this fact may be true, adoptive parents are disabled in other ways. They are disabled by the process of adoption and emotionally and by the transition of the new child into their home. There is no saying no-thank you in the adoption process. Each and every
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Short Term Disability “programs cover only the medical conditions of pregnancy and childbirth, however, fathers and adoptive parents do not have access to paid leave… to care for or bond with a new child.” If adoption parents are not able to use short-term disability, there should be other avenues for them to take. Adoption helps many children receive permanent and loving homes that they would otherwise never have. It gives couples who are unable to bear a child themselves, the opportunity to receive the children they so badly want. Adoption is a wonderful process and the families who choose to adopt should be given the same or equal opportunities as biological families are given when they give birth. If Short Term Disability is not wanted to or able be changed to accommodate for adoption families, then there needs to be a new Act, such as the FAMILY Act. An Act that would be available for adoption families to qualify for and receive adequate paid leave to go through the adoption process and care for their new child. Adoption should be treated no differently than conceiving a child. Both processes have their different aspects that disable them and distract them form their work and in the end of each the most important thing is the wellbeing of the
The author argues that since the passage of the Adoption and Safe Family Act of 1997, adoption rates have increased and adoption has been promoted as the “normative ideal”.
Many potential adopted parents have experienced heartbreak, anguish and other problems that can be associated with adoption. There is an imbalance in the Nations foster care system and the system needs to be strengthening and the quality of services improved.
In the United States there are approximately 397,000 children in out-of home care, within the last year there was about 640,000 children which spent at least some time in out-of-home care. More than 58,000 children living in foster care have had their biological parental rights permanently terminated (Children’s Rights, 2014). Due to the rising number of children in foster care and the growing concerns of the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was signed into law. On November 19, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, to improve the safety of children, to promote adoption and other permanent homes for children who need them, and to support families (Child Welfare League of America). The Adoption and Safe Families Act also promotes adoption by offering incentive payments for States. During the FY of 1999-2003 the payment to states which had exceeded the average number of adoptions received $20 million (Child Welfare League of America). The ASFA improved the existing federal child welfare law to require that the child’s health and safety be a “paramount” concern in any efforts made by the state to preserve or reunify the child’s family, and to provide new assurances that children in foster care are safe (Shuman, 2004).
The cost of adoption can range between $25,000 and $40,000, which is too expensive for the modern family, according to “What is the Cost of Adopting from Foster Care?”. Not having the ability to finance a child keeps many families from adopting. Some companies may limit eligibility for adoption benefits to full-time employees or those who have been with the organization for a number of years (“Children’s Bureau”). These benefits include a lump sum payment that can range from $500-$25,300. A lump sum payment is a single payment, as opposed to a series of payments overtime. The benefits also offer a maximum reimbursement of $8,000 and 5 weeks paid leave, but these benefits only apply to those who are employed. Why is
Many people grow up in loving families and cannot imagine not having their parents and siblings around, but each year, 18,000 or more American born babies are put up for adoption (Newlin Carney). That means at least 18,000 children face the harsh truth of maybe not having a family to grow up in. Childhood is a very important part of one’s life and helps shape who one is. These children that are eligible to be adopted just need loving parents, good homes, and stability. And who is to say the high price of adopting is not ho...
The topic of child welfare is quite a broad one. There are numerous programs and policies that have been put in place to protect children. One of these policies is that of Adoption. Adoption was put into place to provide alternate care for children who cannot live with their biological families for various reasons. One of the more controversial issues surrounding adoption is that of Transracial adoption. Transracial Adoption is the joining of racially different parents and children (Silverman, 1993).
Foster care and adoption are life decisions that could change a family’s and well as a child’s entire life path. However, they are not well understood by most people in America and if they were it could open up a world of opportunity for aspiring families. Many people just do not think it would be for them due to the myths and horror stories they have heard but really they must be informed on how the process of both care plans actually work and how to become a foster and/or adoptive parent. Now it may not be the best decision for everybody it is still an option that everybody should be informed on. There are many aspects to both foster care and adoption and they are both an intricate process to go through that society needs to be more informed about.
For my research paper I chose to write about how adoption can effect a child’s development: physical development, cognitive development and social/emotional development. For the sake of this paper I think it will be helpful to define adoption; adoption is defined as to take and rear (the child of other parents) as one 's own child, specifically by a formal legal act (Dictionary, 2016).Before I begin according to an Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System article in 2015 53,549 children were adopted using a welfare involvement. I am adopted and while I think I had some disadvantages I believe there were definitely advantages to me being adopted. I will also give specific examples on how my adoption can affect a child’s physical, cognitive and social/emotional development.
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Adoption recently has caused a hot-spot debate in Australia . Mr Rudd just argued that we should maintain the policy but I don’t agree with him. I am sure many of you are not satisfied with the current situation because we all clear this is not a great one. Adoption is so important because it is a way to change children’s lives. This debate is not about me and Mr Rudd; it’s about you and these children so you should make the best choice. For too long this policy has been disadvantaged to the children who are adopted or going to be adopted and those foster families. It’s the time to change. Relaxing the regulation of adoption within Australia and from overseas will be one of the liberal party’s aiming next term if I get your support. And let me tell you why choosing to relax adoption’s regulation is stepping up in the right direction to change.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 changed the way we approach foster care and adoption. It was the first law that solely focused on children alone, not the entire family. The main objective of this law was to create timelines. These timelines determined the length of time a child could be in foster care before the parents’ loose custody of the child. After parental rights are terminated, the agency is to start searching for a family to adopt the child. In essence, this act took a process that could go on for years and condensed it. This law gives incentives for parents to clean up their act and prove they are changing for the better, through agencies allocated by the Adoption and Safe Families Act, but did not force a child to wait endlessly for their parents to either...
Adoption is a beautiful process where prospective couples earn a chance to provide 153 million orphans worldwide a better life (Source F). Financial issues shouldn’t be a burden to people willing to take in a child within the safety of their home. Many people wonder why adoptive parents can’t pay the adoptive fees themselves and question if they’re financially stable to raise their own child without assistance. These assumptions are unfair because the adoption process is overwhelmingly expensive, ranging up to $50,000. My parents aren't the wealthiest, but they manage to constantly make sure there is food on the table, clothes on my body, and a roof over my head.
This project will discuss the need for quality healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities are not experiencing the quality health care that that are worthy of from health care professionals when they are hospitalized (reference). Those living with intellectual disabilities are a significant part of the American population. Individuals with intellectual disabilities often times struggle with complications such as, asthma, gastrointestinal symptoms, skin allergies, migraines, headaches, and consequently seek help from healthcare professionals on a regular basis and often experience discrepancies in the care they receive (reference). The reason for the lack of quality health care for those who
Autumn Heydenreich 3rd hour 24 October 2014 Death Camps There are various times in history that nations of people are divided by war and conflict, but at the same time many people are brought together by their suffering. The Holocaust is a particular event in the world’s history that broke the trust between those persecuted and their persecutors and that trust will never fully return. So many lives were lost because a man gained power and was able to instill fear into everyone, whether they were with him or against him. Adolf Hitler could not have been satisfied by merely separating those he perceived as lowly from those he believed to be perfect, he had to have them killed before he was content.
It 's 2015, same sex marriage is legalized in the U.S., yet not all adoption agencies allow homosexual couples to adopt. It is only allowed by law to have homosexuals to a joint adoption in 11 states. Adoption has been around since the 1920’s and has been a way to help orphan children gain a family. Not everyone is willing to adopt, whether it is because they don 't want a child, or they have children of their own, and it is not in their budget to adopt another. In the end there is still a large quantity of orphaned children hoping and waiting for a chance to be loved and welcomed by a family. There is an estimated amount of 153 million orphans world -wide and there are 397,122 children in the United States without a permanent family or a home. There is a way to fix that by allowing gay couples to adopt. Throughout the years America has proven their acceptance
In middle school I was diagnosed with a disability with the way I expressed myself through writing. Ever since, I have gained multiple values and learned several lessons about self confidence. I was taught to push past my limits, in order to be successful in reaching my goals along with my dreams. Today I am a senior in high school who was once thought to struggle, but was able to succeed beyond expectations. To some, a disability may seem like a setback from achieving goals, but to me I used it as a challenge for myself. I accepted myself for who I was and looked at my disability as a unique trait of mine. I was able to provide a message to others that anything you set your mind to is possible with dedication and hard work. It might take