Keeping adoption agencies out of hospitals?

Question

How do you suggest protecting mothers from signing their parental rights away while still in the hospital?

It seems that women are most vulnerable after giving birth mentally, physically and emotionally (not to mention medicated) So how do we protect and prevent women from being taken advantage of in this state?

Is it even fair for adoption agencies to be allowed in hospitals?

Luckily in my state parental rights can not be terminated until a court date is set depending the size of the court system 3 to 6 wks after giving birth. Why aren't more states like this?

sry lots of questions. Any opinions welcome and thank you for your time.

Answer 1

Most states aren't like yours because the politicians try to make it a priority to protect the group that's keeping them in office and is most active in voicing their wants.

All states should prohibit anyone getting near a mother during this crucial bonding time. Its only right for the child to be given their chance to bond with his/her mother. I can't imagine trying to deprive a child of that.

Answer 2

3-6 weeks is good in your area I know someone that it took six months before rights were terminated.  The baby went home with the now adoptive parent but mom could change her mind before it was finalized.  With your idea baby will be in foster care  for six months bonding with someone else then go to the adoptive parent.  What about national adoption agencies.  Many people adopt kids in other states.  I know a couple that lives in Ohio that  a mom in California picked them on her pre birth screening. YOu don't know where the PAP lives when you see the record.    

Answer 3

Agency workers and potential adoptive parents should be nowhere near the hospital or mother until at least 6 weeks post-birth.  Anything sooner is majorly coercive and I'm astounded that there are no laws protecting mothers in a vulnerable condition who are easy prey for these folks who befriend and manipulate them :(

Answer 4

I hated being asked by the RN that helped deliver my baby if I wanted to put him up for adoption. Who in there right mind would give up their perfect child especially being married and buying a house. There is no way in h**l I will talked out of raising my baby. I understand people want to raise babies but they can hire a surrogate because they are not getting mine.

Answer 5

Actually, one of the hospitals in this area have adopted a wonderful policy to protect mothers and their children.

The only way to get up to the maternity floor is via a single elevator.  Once you get off that elevator, you're in a locked room.  The only way out is via the elevator you take up there or a pair of security doors.  These security doors are locked AT ALL TIMES.  The only way to open them is if the nursing station opens it for you... and the only way to get them to do that is by a phone that connects you to them.  The only way you're allowed in is if you know the mother's name and if the mother okays your entry. (The exception, of course, being if you are an immediate family member)

I thought this was a marvelous security measure... it not only keeps out pushy adoption agencies, but people intending on harming other mothers and their babies.  The nurseries have been very secure for quite some time, and I was please to find out (when coaching a friend of mine through labor) that now they're taking steps to protect mothers as well.

If more hospitals would just keep a similar policy of locked doors and mother privacy, the agencies wouldn't be able to get in and steal babies.

I would also like to say kudos to you state.  If we had more laws that said parental rights couldn't be terminated until 3-6 weeks after the child is born, the whole adoption community would only benefit.

Answer 6

I don't know much about this because I adopted through foster care.  But are the parents supposed to take the babies home for 3 to 6 weeks even if they really don't want them?  That's kind of scary.

I don't think that they should talk to undecided and vulnerable mothers in the hospital, but what about parents who decided long before the baby was born?

EDIT:  Not sure why I got thumbs down for a legitamite question...unless it's just because I asked a question to answer a question?  Anyhow, Freckle, you are one of my favorites on here and I hope to learn more from you.  I am trying to learn to see situations from every point of view, including natural mothers.

Answer 7

3-6 weeks?  hon, in this county, things tend to run closer to 3-6 MONTHS.

Keeping Agencies out of hospital is easy, given our health care system: a mandatory 1 week waiting period before rights can be signed away.  Even a mom with a c-section goes home after 4 days, unless there is a SERIOUS complication... and if that is the case, mom is on pain meds strong enough to make her incompetent to sign anything anyway.

One of the only advantages of having Mom sign papers in hospital is that she has an INDEPENDENT SW available to her there.  Granted, we adopted out of state, but the SW in our son's mom's hospital was awesome, and did everything she could to make sure that  his Mamma's rights were protected.  Including making sure that the agency SW didn't run roughshod over her, and helping her to have the information available about financial assistance, if she decided to raise him herself.

If she hadn't been certain that this was what she wanted, that SW would have made sure that there was a way for her to bring him home.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, not all states are like yours - some are considered "adoption friendly".  Agencies do everything they can to ship "birthmothers" to those states to deliver their babies.

FYI - in states where there are no laws in place to protect the rights of all mothers, hospital policy and procedures to protect mothers and babies do not apply to single mothers.  Hospital personnel are paid off by agencies and private adopters to report single women who give birth.  Single women are harassed by hospital personnel and SWs who take money under the table from agencies or are looking for a baby for their friends in the even most "secure"  hospitals.  Also, there are nurses who feel they have the right to push their own personal agenda against single mothers.  Adoption predators work through the hospital staff to defeat security regulations to get access to their prey.

Adopters and their agents are also drooling to get into schools to get access to young girls who can breed for them.  Advice to send baby begging letters to hospital staff and high school guidance counselors has been offered by adoption predators here on Y!A.  When challenged about this, the excuse is that infertile people have the right to find babies any way they can, even if unethical or unlawful.

Answer 9

many agencies will not be at the hospital unless the mother has agreed in writing to the adoption in the first place. Sending a child home with a parent who truly does not want the child is child endangerment. The infant is usually sent to foster care for a few weeks during the time the mother has to recant her decision, then adoption proceedings start.  You forget giving a child up for adoption is a difficult decision, and often the mother would rather not see the infant they are giving up.  Would you really want a mother who does not want her child, to attempt to care for it?  This is how many infants end up dead or severely injured