Adoption Case Brings Rare Family Law Dispute To High Court

[serendipity_15]

Take the usual agony of an adoption dispute. Add in the disgraceful U.S. history of ripping Indian children from their Native American families. Mix in a dose of initial fatherly abandonment. And there you have it - a poisonous and painful legal cocktail that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday

Comments

[curseangel]

Frankly, kiiind of siding with the mother on this. He took the papers and signed away his parental rights, and the papers apparently said it was for an adoption, he just glossed over that part. Then when it became clear that she wanted to give up the baby -- not just be the baby's sole caretaker and take on all the expenses and time and everything to do with it and let him swan in to play daddy for some Kodak moments -- he suddenly wanted custody? Uh, what?

The adoptive parents (and especially their attorney) seem like assholes (and racists). But this guy seems like a complete creep.

I have very little sympathy for men who want to force women to take full responsibility for and care of children just so they can "play dad" every now and again, which is exactly what this guy wanted. The fact that he's apparently now married and thus has a new woman to foist his child off on, so he's able to pursue custody, doesn't make me feel any better about that.

[idemandjustice]

These are pretty much my feelings too. I think I just hate everything. And feel bad for the mother and the baby.

[kittenmommy]

The adoptive parents (and especially their attorney) seem like assholes (and racists). But this guy seems like a complete creep.

Yes.

[thenakedcat]

This article is pretty heavily biased towards the adoptive parents--other articles posted here on ONTD_P have given a more balanced account of what's really at issue: the biological father and his tribe had expanded rights to prevent an outside adoption under the ICWA--in order to assure that tribes get a chance to raise their own children even if the biological parents are out of the picture. The biological mother and the adoptive parents were fully aware of these rights but acted to circumvent them....and now they are using one father's douchebag actions to strike at the entire ICWA, while portraying themselves as Great White Saviors by playing up racist stereotypes about Native Americans.

The father wasn't primarily concerned with "playing dad", he was primarily concerned with keeping his daughter from being completely cut off from her tribal heritage. The best way to address that was for him to take custody...and by all accounts Veronica is doing fine being raised by her grandmother and biological father.

[moonshaz]

Eh, Team Nobody here.

I agree with these comments about the birth father and the adoptive parents. But it sounds like the bio mom may have been trying to get around the ICWA once she decided to place the baby for adoption, and that's douchey, too.

What I basically see is yet another helpless child being used as a pawn by a bunch of adults with various agendas, none of which should, imo, be more important that HER welfare. Even ICWA shouldn't take priority over the BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD, afaic.

So basically, I see no angels here and plenty of ??? behavior and tactics all around. :(

[Edited because I changed my mind on certain points after reading more of the comments.]