Adoption Laws and Practices in 2000: Serving Whose Interests?
Ruth Arlene Howe; Professor, Boston College Law School February 8, 2005 After enactment of the first “modern” state adoption statute in 1851,adoption in the United States evolved as both a state judicial process and a specialized child welfare service to promote the “best interests” of children in need of permanent homes. During the last quarter of the century, however, developments have occurred which force us to ask whether U.S. adoption…