I will keep emotion out of this post. The facts speak for themselves.
I am a birth mother. These are the things that were done wrong in our adoption.
1. I did not receive my own legal counsel which is a birth parent right. Because of this, there was an error on the signing of the Termination of Parental Rights. At three months post-placement, this error was found. This error left the door wide open for me to "take back" my relinquished child because my rights were never terminated. I did not do that but I could have as I was well within my rights at that time. Had legal counsel been provided for me this error could have been avoided. Instead, the adoptive family had to deal with the nerves of whether I would sign or not and I had to go through the lowest point of my life again.
2. I did not receive the counseling that my daughter's adoptive parents were charged for. When I contacted them in the year post-placement for help to find local counseling (for which I would be paying for) they initially refused. When I threatened to seek legal counsel, they sent me the name of one therapist, an hour away.
3. I was not told that the state where I placed did not have legally binding open adoptions. (Neither were the adoptive parents!) Had the parents not been morally and ethically sound, they could have slammed the open door shut without rhyme or reason.
4. When I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau seeking only an apology (no money or the return of my child or anything), they wouldn't even offer that much.
5. This is not a traditional agency. It is a facilitator. They are therefore not governed by the same rules as agencies and can get away with ridiculous amounts of lying, deceit and unethical practices.
6. When my daughter's family needed an itemized list of monies spent to finalize the adoption in their state/county, ANLC could not and would not provide. It took a lot of prodding to get it (which is when they found out that they were charged for counseling that I did not receive!). Had they not received it, the adoption could not have been finalized.
As I said, emotions were left out of this; I just included the facts. The emotional fallout for both parties (birth and adoptive parents) would be a much longer post.
Our story, sadly, is not unique. Do not place through or adopt through this "agency."
Thank you for your quick reply. We've looked at this service - you're right - they're not a licensed adoption agency, but they do handle adoptions. Did you find them online - or how?
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Unethical Agency Alert
I will keep emotion out of this post. The facts speak for themselves.
I am a birth mother. These are the things that were done wrong in our adoption.
1. I did not receive my own legal counsel which is a birth parent right. Because of this, there was an error on the signing of the Termination of Parental Rights. At three months post-placement, this error was found. This error left the door wide open for me to "take back" my relinquished child because my rights were never terminated. I did not do that but I could have as I was well within my rights at that time. Had legal counsel been provided for me this error could have been avoided. Instead, the adoptive family had to deal with the nerves of whether I would sign or not and I had to go through the lowest point of my life again.
2. I did not receive the counseling that my daughter's adoptive parents were charged for. When I contacted them in the year post-placement for help to find local counseling (for which I would be paying for) they initially refused. When I threatened to seek legal counsel, they sent me the name of one therapist, an hour away.
3. I was not told that the state where I placed did not have legally binding open adoptions. (Neither were the adoptive parents!) Had the parents not been morally and ethically sound, they could have slammed the open door shut without rhyme or reason.
4. When I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau seeking only an apology (no money or the return of my child or anything), they wouldn't even offer that much.
5. This is not a traditional agency. It is a facilitator. They are therefore not governed by the same rules as agencies and can get away with ridiculous amounts of lying, deceit and unethical practices.
6. When my daughter's family needed an itemized list of monies spent to finalize the adoption in their state/county, ANLC could not and would not provide. It took a lot of prodding to get it (which is when they found out that they were charged for counseling that I did not receive!). Had they not received it, the adoption could not have been finalized.
As I said, emotions were left out of this; I just included the facts. The emotional fallout for both parties (birth and adoptive parents) would be a much longer post.
Our story, sadly, is not unique. Do not place through or adopt through this "agency."
ques
What state did you deliver the baby in & what state were the adoptive parents from?
Thanks for the information.
PA
I delivered and relinquished in Pennsylvania. The adoptive parents also lived in PA.
No problem!
thank you
Thank you for your quick reply. We've looked at this service - you're right - they're not a licensed adoption agency, but they do handle adoptions. Did you find them online - or how?