The Adoption Journal
The Adoption Journal: Comments in Print Media
Guatemalan Adoptions Questioned
"As long as there are children, who are legally free for adoption and in need of parents and as long as the adoption process is done legally, we are going to continue to approve people for adopting in Guatemala,'' said Vicki Peterson, executive director of external affairs at Wide Horizons. "There are definitely risks, no question about it. But there are children who need families."
Russia, China tighten restrictions on adoptions
"This has lots of people concerned with how long the [application freeze] is going to last," said Vicki Peterson, the executive director of external affairs at the Wide Horizons adoption agency in Waltham. "More importantly, it affects the children who are waiting for families. We hate to see a child spend an extra month, or possibly six months, in an orphanage. Every day a child spends in an orphanage, they're losing out on the many important aspects of child development that come from one-on-one attention."
Creating and Improving Families: Adoption Community of New England Celebrates 40th Year
The changes in the world of adoption have been like "going from typewriters to computers," said Vicki Peterson, executive director of external affairs at Wide Horizons for Children in Waltham. "The whole field has changed so radically." But ACONE, she said, "has been a great resource for networking. It is so helpful for families to have other people they can turn to."
Jolie, Farrow: Blended Family Ties
Vietnam was a popular country for U.S. international adoptions, but the process was closed two years ago to investigate corruption, says Vicki Peterson, executive director at Wide Horizons for Children, an organization that guides U.S. families through the process. Adoptions resumed about a year ago, and several agencies are based there to facilitate U.S. adoptions. "There is still a relatively small number of adoptions compared to Russia or China, but it is among countries where adoptions will increase significantly over the next couple of years," she says.
Thought adopting from China was tricky?
"China is doing what every country does when they get to a point when they have fewer children than they have had available in the past -- they're becoming more restrictive," said Vicki Peterson, executive director of external affairs at Wide Horizons for Children in Waltham, Mass. "There's nothing at all unusual about this."
Madonna speaks out over furor
It's a common reaction, says Vicki Peterson, executive director of Wide Horizons for Children Inc., the agency that helped actress Angelina Jolie adopt her daughter, Zahara, now 1, from Ethiopia. "The impact is profound, and you cannot walk away from areas where children live in those conditions without having it change your life," says Peterson, who applauds Madonna's efforts to adopt and the singer's appearance on Oprah. "Anything she can do to get out the word that these kids need help is appreciated."
Seoul Connection: Korean Culture Camp Bridges Birth & Adoptive Cultures
"International adoptions started after the Korean War. Korea was the first international country to support adoption outside of the country. The first adoptable children were "out of wedlock" (children) of Korean and American parents [when American GI's were in the country for the Korean War], and those children are now middle-aged," said Vicki Peterson, social worker and Director of Wide Horizons for Children.
China's policies lead to drop in Bay State adoptions
"For many people, it's whether you can afford the fees involved," said Vicki Peterson, executive director of Wide Horizons, based in Waltham, which handles roughly 700 adoptions each year nationwide.
Orphaned by AIDS
"It's as close to family as one can get," said Vicki Peterson, the Executive Director of Wide Horizons For Children. However, she agreed with [Jane] Aronson: despite how much attention the children receive, Horizon House is not a family and it would not be adequate for anything more than a temporary stay.
Letters: Adoption and Money
In addition to being distorted and factually inaccurate, the language used by Debora Spar in her discussion of adoption (in her article The Baby Trade) makes it clear that she has very little understanding of the work done by ethical agencies or respect for the careful consideration given by most prospective parents when making a decision about adoption.
WHFC Opens New Ethiopia Program
"Our mission is to help children all over the world," says Vicki Peterson, Executive Director of Wide Horizons for Children, and part of the team that traveled to Ethiopia. "Our new Ethiopia program represents our beginning to do work on the continent of Africa not only through adoption, but through providing financial assistance for humanitarian aid projects to Ethiopian orphanages."
© 2008 Wide Horizons For Children, Inc.
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