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Research Log #1

Date: August 30, 2017


Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.

Excerpts:
“One clue might be attachment theory, which holds that a strong bond with at least one nurturing
adult—usually the mother—is essential to a child thriving.”

“In the worst cases, these children might have experienced a traumatic event prior to their
adoption. Early trauma can affect the parts of the brain that control mood and learning”.

“Parents who create disorganized attachment with their kids might be the sorts of parents who
get their kids taken away and adopted out”.

“As measured by their teachers, young adoptive children were more likely than biological ones
to get angry easily and to fight with other students”

Analysis:
This website provides an explanation to why adopted children face emotional challenges.
The author explains a study was done by psychologist Nicholas Zill. His studies show that, by
the evaluation of teachers and tests, adopted children tend to have worse behavior and academic
outcomes in the first and second grade compared to other types of students. The article shows a
graph of this evidence; however, there was no classification that ruled exactly what problem
behavior is.
In the research done by Khazan, she writes that one reason for problematic behavior is
due to the attachment theory. The attachment theory is when one has a strong relationship with at
least one caring adult in their lives. This is important to young children and infants because, if
they don’t have this connection or if it is disrupted it can lead to a long term effect, being that the
child has trust or people issues. In the worse situation, a child may have experienced a traumatic
event before the adoption, which also affects parts of the brain that control mood and learning.
Another thing that can lead children to have more problems controlling their emotion and
managing conflict is “disorganized attachment”. When a toddler or infant has this, they feel
frightened or dissociated with their parents. They are more likely to be psychologically
vulnerable later in life. To avoid this, it is important for parents to establish a good bond between
themselves and their child in the early childhood.
Work Cited:

Khazan, Olga. “The Adoption Paradox.” The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. 9 Oct. 2015.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/the-adoption-paradox/409495/

Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.


Research Log #2
Date: September 16, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.

Excerpts:
“When all was said and done, Brown spent $20,000 to $25,000 in total.”

“Private agency adoptions can range anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000-plus, according to the
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families, with
$25,000 to $35,000 being the norm, experts say.”

“Taking advantage of grants, tax credits, low-interest loans, and other fundraising strategies,
prospective adoptive parents can effectively break down financial barriers.”

“Parents who don't have the money for a private adoption should consider adopting from the
foster care system.”

Analysis:
This article examines the high expense of adopting a child from a private agency. The
author writes about two adopters and their experience, mainly the financial part of adoption.
Yvette Brown was one adopter. In 2010, she had the privilege to adopt a two-week old baby girl.
Prior to getting Kendra, the baby girl, she said the process did not come without challenges.
There are many fees in the process and came to a total cost of about $20,000 to $25,000, before
actually adopting her. Yamilée Emmanuel-Kelly and Errol Kelly are also adopters who decided
to adopt directly through a birthmother. They ended up adopting two children at different times.
The total cost resulted in about $26,000 for the two children. According to this article, the
average cost of adoption is $31,750.
If one was interested in adoption, there are ways to subside the costs of it. To break down
the financial barriers the author recommends to take advantage of grants, tax credits, low-interest
loans, and other fundraising strategies. In fact, the Kelly’s advice when adopting was to do
research because they ended up getting a $2,000 to $5,000 grant from a private agency. This just
shows that people are willing to help for a good cause. If parents are not able to afford a private
adoption, the foster care system is always looking for adopters. The fees in the adoption from the
foster care system is kept to a minimum because they want to get more children into permanent
homes.
Work Cited:
Holmes, Tamara E. and Sheiresa Ngo. "The Real Cost of Adoption." Black Enterprise, vol. 43,

no. 4, Nov. 2012, p. 62. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=f6h&AN=83770431&site=ehost-live. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.


Research Log #3
Date: October 8, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.

Excerpts:
“To combat the dire situation, ICWA established a chain of adoptive preferences for children
with Indian heritage. In the event that neither parent could take custody, other Indian family
members were to have priority, and after that, tribal adoptive parents.”

“The tribe said it had no record of Dusten Brown as a tribal member. So the adoption went
forward.”

“While there is no doubt that he would have had no leg to stand on under state law, by the time
the case went to court, the Cherokee Nation had located him in its records.”

“Whichever way the Supreme Court rules in June, the case of "Baby Girl," as she is referred to in
the briefs, is heartbreaking.”

Analysis:
This article is written about a heartbreaking adoption dispute. Christy Maldonado and
Dusten Brown were engaged and she became pregnant. However, the relationship went downhill
and ended, leaving her a single mother. With their relationship ended, he texted her before she
gave birth saying that he would give up his parental rights and would not support the child. Thus,
she put the child up for adoption and found a supportive family, Matt and Melanie Capobianco.
When Dusten received papers notifying of the adoption, he accidentally signed them off. But
within four days, he filed a formal objection, referring to the Indian Child Welfare Act; he is two
percent Native American.
He agrees that he gave up his parental rights but he gave the rights to Christy. Before
even finalizing the adoption, Christy sent a letter, through her lawyer, to the Cherokee Nation for
her adoption plans. She gave them an opportunity to get involved under the Indian Child Welfare
Act. They stated that they found no record of him as a member, so the adoption went through.
However, when the case went to court, the Cherokee Nation located him in their records. The
courts then ruled that the two years old, adopted child, had to be with her biological father, a man
she had never met before.
The adoptive family then filed for an appeal to the U.S Supreme Court, in the best
interests of the child. Their position in this situation was that they weren’t stealing a child from
an Indian parent because the parent with Indian heritage gave up their parental rights before the
child was even born. However, the father and the tribes saw this as a case attempting to undo the
protections that Congress established for the rights of Native American parents. The birth-mother
argues that if Indian fathers can do this, based on biology, why can’t Indian donors and rapists do
the same? The verdict of this cases was two months written after the story. Whichever way the
Supreme Court ruled it, it would be heartbreaking.

Work Cited:
Totenberg, Nina. “Adoption Case Brings Rare Family Law Dispute To High Court.” npr. npr. 16

Apr. 2013. https://www.npr.org/2013/04/16/177327391/adoption-case-brings-rare-

family- law-dispute-to-high-court. Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.


Research Log #4
Date: October 16, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.

Excerpts:
“Disorders assessed over the lifetime of the adoptees included oppositional defiant disorder
(ODD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, major depressive
disorder, and separation anxiety disorder.”

“The odds of having ADHD or ODD were about twice as high in all adopted adolescents.”

“ In addition, domestic adoptees had higher odds of having conduct disorder than non-adopted
adolescents.”

“Despite the study’s findings, Keyes emphasized that most of the children adopted as infants are
well-adjusted and psychologically healthy.”

Analysis:
This article is written about research done by the University of Minnesota. The
researchers tried to find if adopted children were more likely to have childhood disorders. Their
study compared people aging from 11-21 years old who were adopted in Minnesota to others
who were born and not adopted in Minnesota. The adopted people consisted of international and
domestic adoptions. These people were assessed rigorously and the researchers found they were
diagnosed with ODD, ADHD, conduct disorder, major depressive disorder, and separation
anxiety disorder.
This survey was not like any other before because it is one of the first studies done to find
common childhood disorders on a population-based sample of adoptees. Doctor Margaret A.
Keyes, the lead author and researcher, relied on parent reports and checklist description of
problems of the child(s) and they had individual clinical interviews to be examined. In the
outcome, the researchers came to see that adopted people were twice as likely to have ADHD or
ODD than a non-adopted person. They also found that international adoptions were less likely to
have misconduct of behavior than domestic adoptions. This was a shocking because some
researchers thought they would face more challenges, such as adversity and discrimination,
which would increase the risk of a mental disease.
International adoptions may have lower behavioral issues because the parents are more
prepared to help the child than the adoptive parents of domestic adoptees. Despite this being,
according to the parents, the international adoptions had significantly more symptoms of major
depressive and separation anxiety disorders. They were also more anxious than non-adopted
people. Even though it seems adoption is not beneficial, Keyes emphasizes that infants who are
adopted are well-adjusted and psychologically healthy. Although adoption comes with
challenges, the benefits far outweigh the hardships.

Work Cited:
Kaplan, Arline. “Adoption and Mental Illness”. Psychiatric Times. UBM Medica, LLC. 26. Jan.

2009. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/adoption-and-mental-illness. Accessed

16 Oct. 2017.
Research Log #5
Date: October 29, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.

Excerpts:
“The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a U.S. government-funded adoption information
service, estimates that the average U.S. adoption costs $8,000 to $40,000.”

“Your biggest cost will be a fee charged by the domestic or international adoption agency that
matches you with a newborn.”

“Hefner, who adopted her baby boy less than two months ago, says she and her husband were at
least able to work from their hotel and avoid losing a month and a half of income.”

“Expect to pay for everything from counseling for the biological mother to getting your
fingerprints processed by the FBI to clear background checks.”

“ Adoption grants up to $15,000 are offered through HelpUsAdopt.org. Some employers even
help out with financial costs, and there are tax credits that encourage adoption.”

Analysis:
This website reveals a breakdown of the expenses for adoption and explains why
adoption is so costly. The author writes that the biggest payment is a fee charged by the adoption
agency. Some agencies may suggest to pay a flat rate or others may say to pay a small amount,
but you also have to pay for ‘this’, ‘this’, and ‘this’. The costs can also rise if attorney’s get
involved with an adoption. Couples may also want to hire an adoption consultant, which can cost
up to $3,000. Although a consultant may be expensive, there are definitely some benefits to
hiring one. A couple said that before they hired someone, they spent $15,000 to private agencies
but no one was able to help them. The couple still spent a lot of money in the adoption process,
but they were given more opportunities to explore.
Costs can also increase if a couple decides to adopt someone from another state or
country. One couple who adopted a newborn baby had to travel to Louisiana from Virginia, three
weeks before the baby was actually born because the birthmother thought she was in labor. But,
they were able to work from the hotel and avoid losing their income. They also had to go through
a process called Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, which is a federal law to
ensure those who are adopted from an outer state couple receive the same protections and
services as they would in the state they were born in. Not only do people have to pay for
agencies, consultants, and travel fairs, but also other miscellaneous fees. They can include FBI
background checks, fees for the birthmother, counseling, and more.
Despite the high costs, there are some ways to lessen the burden. There are some banks
and websites that offer loans for adoption. For example, LightStream, an online loaning program,
is a website that will loan people money for adoptions. There are also employers who are willing
to help and there are tax credits that support adoption. There may be times where adopters want
to walk away from the process, but the benefits to adopting outweigh the challenges.

Work Cited:
Williams, Geoff. “The Cost of Adoption”. U.S. News. U.S. News & World Report L.P. 2 Oct.

2014. https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2014/10/02/the-cost-

of-adoption. Accessed 29 Oct. 2017.


Research Log #6
Date: November 14, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.

Excerpts:
“Since the 1950s, the basic consequences of adoption have become fairly standardized: the child
is treated in all legal and economic respects as the child of the adoptive parents.”

“The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, identifies adoption as the most appropriate option
for children who cannot be reunified with their birth families, sets strict time limits for states to
approve and implement permanency plans, provides financial incentives to states that increase
the number of adoptions from foster care, and encourages states to provide continuity for
children by allowing their foster parents to adopt them once their biological parents' rights are
terminated.”

“The Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA), prohibits federally funded state agencies from
denying or delaying adoptive placements on the basis of race, color, or national origin but also
mandates diligent recruitment of foster and adoptive parents who reflect the racial and ethnic
diversity of the children.”

“Adoptive families continue to seek legal equivalence but are more likely to seek social and
cultural acceptance by proclaiming their distinctive characteristics.”

“In lieu of the multilayered, highly articulated, and prescriptive system of laws and child welfare
practices that now regulate adoptive families, the well-being of adopted children and their
families might be better served by less formal practices…than on the purported wisdom of
lawmakers and child welfare experts whose earlier dominion over the meaning of adoption is
now being challenged.”

Analysis:
The authors of this article write about the adoption laws in America. In order to adopt,
there are five prerequisites: the parents consent of the child’s public or private custodian, the
consent of the child (if old enough), the proof of payments of adoption related expenses, the
prospective parents are eligible and suitable, and the judicial finding that the adoption is for the
best for the child. However, this criteria vary in each state. Each state has laws regarding
adoption because the U.S Supreme Court has ruled that the biogenic link to children is not
sufficient to have full constitution protection. Couples who want to adopt argue that rather than
having to prove their ‘fitness’ to become parents on certain criteria, they want more pre-adoption
preparation and assistance to help with the needs of adoption.
The federal government has made many laws to regulate adoption. Some of the laws that
were passed include the Adoption and Safe Families Act, Multiethnic Placement Act, Indian
Child Welfare Act and more. These were created in order to take action to secure permanent
families for children whose birth parents chose to neglect, abuse, or leave them. In recent years,
many children have been adopted into same-sex parents. However, this has become a
controversial topic. A few states do not allow same-sex or unmarried couples to adopt or foster.
In Florida, they have a ban on “practicing homosexuality”, which it has been challenged because
it irrationally denies many foster children the benefits of a permanent adoptive placement.
Adopting couples would also like more openness in adoption. During the adoption
process, couples would like to know more about the original family or parents, and when they
adopt, they would like to receive the birth certificate. As a result, states have established a
number of procedures to identify information between adoptees and their birth families.
However, these procedures are long and fail to ensure direct contact between each other. Some
states allow adoptees to attain their birth certificate when 18 or older, but others have not. This is
due to the concern of “open records” and privacy of personal information. As the complicated
system of laws and child welfare practices regulate adoptive families, more biological and
adopted families are willing to work together and negotiate arrangements regarding the adopted
children.

Work Cited:
Hollinger, Joan Heifetz and Naomi Cahn. "Forming Families by Law Adoption in America

Today." Human Rights, vol. 36, no. 3, Summer 2009, p. 16. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tth&AN=44747451&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.


Research Log #7
Date: December 1, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.

Excerpts:
“Specifically, emotion regulation involves the awareness, understanding and acceptance of
emotions and the ability to control impulsive behaviors and act accordingly when faced with
negative emotions.”

“One of the interesting characteristics of adoptees is the discontinuity between previous and
post-adoption experiences.”

“Communication about the adoptees’ origins and adoptive identity has also been recognized as
one of the most specific processes of adoptive families’ dynamics.”

“The main purpose of this study is to analyze the way in which the adoptive family’s
acknowledgement/rejection of adoption related differences and communication about adoption
influences adopted children’s emotion regulation.”

Analysis:
This is an academic journal that reveals data from an experiment approved by the Ethics
Committee of the University and the National Board of Data Protection to find if
acknowledgment or rejection of adoption relates to the communication and differences in
adopted family dynamics. To discover if this was true or not, adoptive parents of seventy school-
aged children participated in the study. The data gives new insight on adopted children’s
emotional development which is influenced by family environment and pre-adoption
experiences. The researchers had three goals they wanted to find.
The researchers first analyzed the adopted children emotion regulations and their
relationship to early adversity. They found these variables weren't necessarily problematic.
However, they found the only correlation between adopted children’s early adversity and
emotion negativity was if they were in the institution longer it can be considered a global
indicator of adverse experiences prior to adoption. This means that if a child was able to create a
relationship with his/her’s birth parents or was adopted later it explains the emotion reaction to
adversity.
Secondly, the study explored the correlation between the acknowledgement of
differences and the quality of communication about adoption. This was measured by attunement
(how one acts to someone’s moods and actions) and parental satisfaction. The higher scores in
acknowledgement of differences were related to later adoption and less time in the adoptive
family. The researchers concluded that the variables defining the quality of family life are
interrelated, but the specific relationships depend on the characteristics of its members. The age
at adoption and the time after placement is relevant in the case of adoptive families.
Lastly, they aimed to find specific indicators of the child’s emotion regulation. They
found that the parents’ acceptance of adoption is related to the differences of communication
within the family. When parents communicate positive energy towards their child’s adoption and
give more parental satisfaction with the adoption, there is a prediction that the adopted child had
less emotional negativity. This is an important role in indicating emotion regulation. This
confirms importance of knowing the adoptees’ individual experiences, since it contributes to the
changing of adoptees.

Work Cited:
Soares, Joana, et al. "Adopted Children's Emotion Regulation: The Role of Parental Attitudes

and Communication about Adoption." ["Regulación emocional en adoptados: el papel de

las actitudes parentales y la comunicación sobre adopción"]. Psicothema, vol. 29, no. 1,

Feb. 2017, pp. 49-54. EBSCOhost, doi:10.7334/psicothema2016.71. Accessed 1 Dec.

2017.
Research Log #8
Date: December 26, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.

Excerpts:
“This article illuminates market consciousness in the adoption process, arguing that economic
interests influence adoption more than we might like to acknowledge.”

“The author explores this marketplace and the way in which race, genetic traits, and class are
implicated in adoption processes, resulting in higher fee associate with the adoption of children
with desirable traits.”

“Contemporary adoption services, however, resemble free markets where aesthetic profiles of
race, hair texture, eye color and other market variables determine the welfare of children or, at
least, their likelihood of placement.”

“While 86.4% of black women would accept a white child, only 72.5% of white women would
accept a black child, and only1.8% of white women expressed a preference for a black child.”

Analysis:
This journal states the faults within the adoption system in America and offers solutions.
The author compares the United States’s adoption process to an unregulated marketplace, in
which children are sold as if they are property. Some may argue that adoption is not a market for
children but a system that provides better opportunity for “unwanted” children. However, when
the system is deeply analyzed economically, financial incentives appear to increase the profits of
adoption. When adopting there may be excessive fees paid to the adoption agency, transportation
and living costs, medical payments, and other transactional costs made by the adopter. As a
result, the cost of adoption increases. The author also explores race and ethnicity to see if it
results in higher fees associated with the adoption of children.
Some agencies associate race and genetics to the cost of adoption. This means that when
adopters adopt white children, it may costs more than black children because of the children’s
race. To justify this practice, agencies try to clarify that it is harder to place black children than
white children into homes. Therefore, race influences the fee structure of adopting agencies
because of the rules of supply and demand. The author questions why it would to adopt a white
child when in reality requires less work. If adopters were more focused on child welfare, not
their personal needs, the price of black and white children would be approximately the same, is
what the author argues. With this finding, one would assume black children would be the second
most adopted ethnicity in the U.S, but it isn’t. According to the Department of Health and
Human Services, adoption couples spend up to $30,000 to adopt abroad and wait at least
eighteen months before legally adopting a child.
The journal also provides solutions to end the “market of babies”. An option is to regulate
the price of adoption. This way it ensures that all adoptions are same amount, despite race,
gender, looks, or other factors. Another option is to put a tax on all adoptions with transaction
fees. This would help generate funds that can be used by the state or federal government to better
social welfare of children in the foster care system or adoption centers. The last solution the
author recommends is for the government to be more active in adoption by providing
information. This could possibly assist adopters to make better decisions on adoption and focus
on the welfare of the child and not themselves.

Work Cited:
Goodwin, Michele. “The Free-Market Approach to Adoption: The Value of a Baby”. vol 26

B.C.Third World L.J. 61 (2006).

http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=twlj.

Accessed 26 Dec. 2017.


Research Log #9
Date: December 27, 2017
Name: Kelcie Albano
EQ: What are challenges people face in the adoption process?

Three Points To Prove:


#1: Adopted children may face emotional challenges, some of which involve self-
esteem, aggression, and depression.
#2: Financial challenges may arise regarding adoption.
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.
———————————————————————————————————————
Point that this Source/Information Proves:
#3: The legal process of adoption can be challenging and problematic.

Excerpts:
“When the New York State Court of Appeals ruled in 2016 that a person who acted as a parent--
despite the absence of a biological or adoptive relationship to a child--had legal standing to seek
custody and visitation rights, it was hailed as progress for nontraditional families, including
same-sex couples.”

“It also was not in keeping with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 marriage equality decision,
which mandated that same-sex couples have access to all the legal benefits that straight couples
do, Feldman says.”

“Feldman says Nervo approached the case from the wrong angle. Nervo's ruling, he adds,
"systematically discriminates against gay and lesbian parents as compared to straight parents.””

“Feldman says he strongly believes that the appeal will result in recognition of Gunn's coparent
status. Rabin counters, "I believe in my heart and my brain [that upholding Nervo's ruling] is the
right thing for gay parents.”"

Analysis:
This article is about a New York case that regards adoption laws and same-sex couples.
In this case Kelly Gunn and Circe Hamilton decided to adopt a son from Ethiopia in 2009. A few
years later, in 2011, it was legalized. However, they broke up before the adoption was legalized
and Hamilton adopted as a single parent. Now, Hamilton has decided to move to London, her
home country, and take her adopted son, Abush. Hearing this news, Gunn decided against it and
took it to court. Her party argues that even after the breakup, they decided to parent jointly and
in a legal sense be Abush's coparent. On the other hand, Hamilton’s party refutes the argument
by saying the plan of joint adoption ended with their separation and that Gunn acted as a
godmother to Abush, but not a parent.
In April of 2017, it was ruled by New York Supreme Court that Gunn’s relationship with
Abush was not equal to the level of a parent and dismissed the case. Much to Gunn’s
dissatisfaction of the verdict, she repealed the case. Harvard law professor, Noah Feldman,
argues for Gunn saying that the Supreme Court did not keep in line with a previous verdict in
2016; it ruled that a person who acted as a parent, even without biological or adoptive
relationship to a child, had legal option to seek custody and visitation rights. According to the
judge of the New York Supreme Court, Kelly has made emails and conversations that refer to
Circe as Abush's mother, which reveals she didn’t want to be a mother. Bonnie Rabin,
Hamilton’s lawyer, says that Gunn was happy to play a role of a grandmother and not a parent.
This showed the judge Gunn was not in a position to act as a parent.
Feldman makes a point that Kelly would qualify to be an adoptive parent because she
acted as a parent and is financially stable. When Abush came to America, Gunn and Hamilton
compared schedules and found a way for Gunn to do things all parents do for their children. For
example she took him to school, doctor appointments, and other activities. Despite being
separated, Kelly helped enable the adoption by listing their Manhattan apartment and buying out
Hamilton's share of their apartment and house to the tune of $350,000. However, the judge says
that there is no evidence of this influencing the continuation of adoption. The final verdict is
expected to come between December and March.

Work Cited:
Ring, Trudy. "What Makes a Parent?." Advocate, no. 1094. p. 30. EBSCOhost, 1 Dec. 2017

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tth&AN=126147018&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 27 Dec. 2017.

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