[NancyAshe]

According to a news story from Massachusetts, the adoption of two children by a family with 5 children has been stopped because of a law about the number of children in a home where foster and adoptive placements are made.

The report in the Sun Chronicle (Attleboro-North Attleboro, MA) indicates that the prospective parents are a financial analyst and nurse, and that the sisters they want to adopt, ages 6 and 11 (who are currently living in separate foster homes), had already begun the counseling process to help them adjust to the move to an adoptive family.

Setting arbitrary numbers just doesn't sit well with me. Each family is different as is each child, and if the placement of children in a larger family is going to be in the children's best interest, isn't this kind of a law self-defeating... in a system that strives to meet the "best interests of the child?"

In addition to the issue of siblings living apart when they could be living together, I find it hard to reconcile a law limiting the number of children in a home with the shortage of foster and adoptive families for children in the U.S. foster care system which, if we listen to the pleas from child welfare agencies across the nation, has reached a critical point.

When the adoptive family is qualified, loving, and the placement is deemed appropriate for the children, isn't that what matters?

The story is not online in its entirety and this link may not work for long, but here's a link to a summary of the story: http://www.thesunchronicle.com/artic...city/city2.txt

[marlain]

Do you know if the Attleboro family is trying to fight this in court?

[NancyAshe]

I don't. I'm watching the news for any follow up story.

All best
Nancy

[kllee4]

This is really sad, considering the current state of the foster care system. I used to joke to my friends that if you could juggle 3 kids close in age, then you could certainly add more!

I find that it takes a certain kind of family to make sure that each and every child receive as much that they deserve as possible (not material things) such as love, attention, respect for who they are, gentle guidance, structure, an open ear and an open heart. There are so many families, large and small, that would be a wonderful asset to a child who deserves a loving, forever family. To deny them one based on the family size is ludicrous, given the fact that there is so much to gain in ANY family that has the wherewithall to stick it out and give their all for the children.

Once again, another stab at the children. When will this stop?

[dkstimes]

What a sad thing!!! To limit the size of a family! We have adopted 10 children thus far! We still have 7 children at home. When we adopted our last 3 little boys we had 5 children still at home and I can tell you honestly that our 5 children have been a real benefit and blessing to our 3 little ones! They have been wonderful role models academically and socially. I cannot say that we have not had our moments!! Don't we all whether we have no kiddos or 10! I am not advocating that everyone go out and adopt 10 kids but what I am saying is that God gives each of us our gifts and our abilities! Having a large family does have it's issues......big house,lots of food,tons of laundry,and the biggest issue is LOTS OF LAUGHS AND LOVE!!! What a joy and blessing each of these children are! I really believe that our last 3 have flourished and made such wonderful strides in the past 17 months because of the children that were already in the home that were so willing and desired so much to share their mom and dad and all they had with their new siblings. I can also tell you these same children are already on the nag for adding more children to the family! I think if a family believes they can handle the responsibility of nurturing and loving and meeting the needs of each individual child then so be it whether that is 1 child or many!! God will give us all we need to successfully raise the chidren he gifts us with! We are a family that has been truly blessed I know and I'm so thankful that we had people the looked not at the number of children already in the home but seen and felt that we are a famliy that could really love and help 3 little boys who needed a break in life and a chance at a forever family!! Size isn't the issue but what we can do for the child(ren) is!! Deb

[mike & kim]

Well me and kim are a little cooncerned about this issue we are just starting the proccess to adopt and i have seen several things about not placing children in familys with two or more children Kim has 3 boys from a previos marriage and we would like to adopt a daughter together i know for us there is more than enough love to go around in this house is'nt that what really matters a loving healthy home for a child that deserves it

[marlain]

I am hoping that there is something that can be done to change the Massachusetts law that says a family who wants to foster or adopt can only have up to six children. If the Attleboro family is trying to fight this at all, then I want to be an advocate in the community. Do you know if any other states have similar laws?

[NancyAshe]

A new story in the news indicates that the state of Massachusetts won't budge on its decision to deny the Worthen family's adoption petitions for two sisters, ages 6 and 10, based on the "rule of six" law. Although it appears that some lawmakers agree the law should be changed, it hasn't been and the adoptions appear to be stalled.


Here's the latest from The Boston Globe