Adoption is a vital process which aids children in finding caring foster parents and caring homes. Unfortunately, some people cannot be counted on to look after the best interests of the children.
In Alaska, individual private persons were placing ads on Craigslist advertising descriptions of available children and their corresponding costs. At first glance this seems like a heinous and an obvious avenue for the exploitation of children by sexual predators or people seeking to throw them into child prostitution.
Proper precautions must be taken so that this does not happen. While Alaska and several other states are silent as to who may place adoption ads online; Florida provides guidance on this issue. Only licensed adoption agencies or attorneys working for said agencies may place these ads. This provides a greater degree of control as to who is advertising the availability of these children.
Perhaps a happy medium may be reached where private individuals may still advertise but only with government oversight and/or the approval of an advertising agency. Needless to say, the actual adoption process would still need to go through the appropriate agency. Much work is still needed from the Legislature to ensure this happens. However, it is up to the public to vote for politicians who will be willing to listen and pass the appropriate legislation.
For more information, please contact David Vega, Esq. at dvega@gr-law.net
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