[mj77]

Hi Linny,
I want to offer you another insight that I hope will help. Our state of Oregon, my understanding is that they will allow up to 8 children total (bio with adopted or just adopted) when concidering placing for adoption. You can concieve all you want, but the state doesn't want to place that many in one home. So if a family had 5 bio-kids living in the house, our state might cap their home at 3 adoptees. Also each case worker here gets the right to determine how many children they feel you are able to adopt and how long you might have to wait between adoptions. I found this a bit agravating but can understand. I think this also has to do with many families out there that aren't meeting the full needs of some of the kids they have already. The state perhaps feels an obligation to make sure these kids who've had a tough start in life don't get lost in a family. There are also--and I know it's hard to believe--families that keep adopting for the income of subsidy. The more needs the children have, the more money they get, and there is the potential for a lot of money at the expence of not only tax payers, but the children being unnessisarily labled. Unfortunately, there have been too many cases with adoptive families neglecting their children placed by the state agency. I know great parents out there that can parent many children. They are special people. Unfortunately because of the liablity on the state (being sued constantly) they have to protect themselves. I hope that makes sense. Much of it is just my beliefs of why they have a cap.

MJ