Child Abuse and the Legal System Book

Elizabeth Bartholet is an adoptive parent and Harvard law professor. In FAMILY BONDS, she argues for the reformation of adoption policies and laws and advocates for adoption as a human rights practice, one that considers the rights of the child first. Of many perspectives about adoption, this one resonates the most with me. International adoption, for example, may be a form of neocapitalism as many opponents to the practice suggest, but I don't think the answer is to leave children languishing in orphanages when there are many people in developed nations prepared to provide them with a good home. Bartholet's voice is a strong plea for the needs of these individual children and raises the question of what happens to these little ones if the opponents have their way because of the political implications of the practice. FAMILY BONDS is written for a professional or academic audience, but I still also recommend it for any parent considering international adoption as a way to expand their family.