Comments about ‘Seeking adoptive parents' rights: Utah lawmaker proposes uniform sick leave for school district workers’

If adoptive parents chose to go outside the country to adopt children they should do it on their own time and expense. Why they go outside the country is beyond reason when there are so many children in this country who need a home.

What first comes to my mind is child trafficking in foreign countries where the US government has no controls of adoptions or the children being sold to these parents. Children from foreign adoption agency's should better prepare these older children with language and lifestyle changes before they can be adopted to foreign parents. Personally, I don't think US parents should be allowed to adopt foreign children because of the emotional and mental strain it puts on children.

I can see an adjustment period for foreign children but it shouldn't be to such extremes and excesses.

I am tired of the State gov. always telling us what to do. This should be a District decision, not the state.

Having given birth to four kids and then having adopted a toddler, I have a good feel for what's involved with both. This is a great bill. It would also be nice for society to catch up too, and offer the support and help for the new adoptive mom and child. It's an adjustment in more ways than can be explained in just a paragraph. I hope this bill passes.

Sounds reasonable to me.

It's their time.

No there aren't so many children in this country who need a home. How many have you adopted? Our system is set to place back with birth mom, dad or extended relatives. Children go back and forth in this system for years and maybe at age 10 are free for adoption. And believe me, in those cases you need sleep. Children waking up with night terrors, you have extra court appearances... Infant adoption US has a newborn to care for, court appearances for guardianship, and likely a baby working off an addiction. A woman who gives birth had a rough experience on the body and a newborn to care for. I would suggest that a person who has travelled half round the world to adopt a child and is working through jet lag twice, a child with jet lag on the way home is not safe to drive let alone work. Traveller's often come home with parasites or colds/fevers.

Would you rather they languish in orphanages abroad?

'Nuther example of the Privileged Class worrying about "chocolate or vanilla" while the Unwashed Masses are more concerned with "eat or starve." As has been noted elsewhere,

"Fifty-three percent of employees in the private sector lack any paid sick leave, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families."

While those who can pay ten grand and up to adopt, most of us -- who have no paid sick leave at all -- are more concerned with the financial disaster that looms on the horizon should anyone -- especially the breadwinner -- come down sick at all.

Wealthy adoption wannabees to the masses: "Let them eat cake."

I agree with MLC, I have a similar family make up with biological children and an adopted child and I have felt for along time that adoptive parents/children are overlooked on issues such as maternity leave, etc...
I really don't understand what the comments from "Agree with some but not all" have to do with this article. This was about basic rights for parents no matter the birth situation of their families. If you wish to express your views on foreign adoption, maybe it should be in an article about the pros and cons of foreign adoption. Adoption is wonderful... foreign or domestic!

If they are going to work full-time and just put their baby into child care, perhaps they shouldn't be adopting at all. These children need a full-time mother.

How many children from this country have YOU adopted? I bet 0 would be the answer. So stop being a hypocrite. You are clueless. All children everywhere deserve homes; Adoptive parents and bio parents should have the same maternal leave rights. I have 1 bio and 1 child adopted from China. Adopting my daughter was the greatest thing I've ever done and the biggest blessing in my life (along with my bio). I can't speak for all but I went to China BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE MY DAUGHTER WAS. Simple as that. Adopted children are miraculously resilient and in most case adapt beautifully and all involved are blessed beyond words. All children need families and love, no matter where they are from and you are also ignorant in that there aren't as many children in this country available for adoption as you may think. Educate yourself and grow a heart and develop a love for children everywhere and realize ALL need families, but parents go where their heart leads them. My daughters are my greatest joys and I'm thankful forever for the blessing of adoption!!!!!!!!

Do you expect the rest of us to pay for your choices?

If you can't afford the cost, maybe you shouldn't be adopting.

What about school? If a parent sends to school should they not adopt? Should a man becoming a dad quit to stay home or decide not to have the baby in the first place.

If you just drove 3 hours back from caring for a sick parent all day and had 4 hours sleep wouln't you call in sick the next day? Even though technically you are not the one sick? That is parenting. And you'd be allowed the sick day.

We have an adopted son from Ukraine. We adopted him when he was five. It is essential that adoptive children, no matter what there age, have time to adjust to their environment and bond. Many adoptive children have severe attachment issues and time to bond when they are brought home could effect their emotional health for the rest of their lives. It is so important to recognize the need for time for both the parent and the child. So much depends on it.

Back on topic...

It is a dumb idea. Sick leave is not for "bonding". Take personal leave or adopt during vacation time, but

Adoption does not equal childbirth.

If this passes, will I get equal time as a woman to "bond" with my newborns/adopted? Isnt' this sexist if it is only bonding time?

The family leave act applies to men and women equally. The amount and type of sick leave offered in a district is a negotiated item. In my district, women will save their sick and personal leave in order to allow them to have bonding time with a new child. I've known men who did the same thing. It's your personal leave - use it however you wish.

That's equity.

You are right "adoption does not equal childbirth." I've done both and adoption is so much harder, one can't even compare it. And to say adopt during vacation time is just pure ignorance on your part. Adoptive parents don't get to choose when you actually get to have your child placed in your arms. You don't need equal time to "bond" with your bio--they haven't been through the traumas that most adopted children have. And if you're so concerned about bonding (which I highly doubt) then stay home with them and then you'll have all the bonding time you need. Adoptive parents deserve a lot more than they get as they are the most loving of all the parents out there. How many bio parents would go through the hell we go through? Not many. Nor would many of them even pass a home study to begin with. Opinions such as yours should not be expressed because they are totally ignorant, making me suspect that you probably aren't a teacher at all, because your comments show no education.

Adoptive parents deserve the SAME maternity rights as biological parents. To deny adoptive parents the same paid time off that bio parents get is pure discrimination, plain and simple. To my knowledge, most districts in Utah don't have paid maternity leave. Your maternity leave is based on how much sick leave you've accrued. However, if you adopt from what I know you're generally unable to use as much sick leave you have accrued as a mother who naturally has a child because you're not physically recovering from delivery. It's discrimination. Plain out discrimination.

Sick leave and vacation time are not rights they are privileges.

Employers can allow personal time off, but it is not mandatory that they provide these benefits!

Not a Right you're missing the whole point. . .the whole point of the legislation is to equalize benefits. . . you're right, they ARE privileges. But if they're going to offer that privilege for someone who physically has a child, then they should offer the SAME privilege for someone who adopts a child, not discriminate because one physically had the child and the other didn't. Privileges should be equal to all, not discriminatory. . .

Pregnancy isn't sickness. Nor is it a disability.

You can't adopt on vacation time. Being off more than x days requires you to take family leave as part of the FMLA. That is the while point. You can't use you time for this. Not because of a law but the district.

In fact dads would like to and often take FMLA to adopt. Internationally you are gone one or more trips for weeks to a month. Domestically the birth family adoption agency would have you take leave as well. You don't have that prebirth bonding time.

It costs so little. Only a few percent of thr population adopts. It is silly they are going out of their way to treat parents so different.

What about the bonding issue? What is the best for the child? Adopted children need the 24/7 bonding that a biological baby needs. There is no difference in this necessary developmental milestone. When a mother adopts a baby, and then immediately needs to put him in a day care, when does this happen? Biological bonding happens in the womb. A baby recognizes his mothers voice right away. Adoptive children need the time to be held, feed, and all his needs attended for by his mother to insure this process happens. This bill is for the emotional health of children.