Family Law Prof Blog

Octomom in Land of One-Child Policy?

A story that might be a hoax and is under investigation, from USA Today:

BEIJING – The photo was undeniably cute: a studio portrait of eight babies in identical onesies and perky white cotton hats, sporting an array of expressions from giggly to goofy, baffled to bawling.

Intended as an advertisement for the studio, the photo grabbed a different kind of attention: In a country that limits most couples to one child, many Chinese were amazed to learn that a couple had spent nearly a million yuan ($160,000) and illegally enlisted two surrogate mothers to help have the four boys and four girls.

The incident has highlighted both the use of birth surrogates, a violation of Chinese law, and how wealthy Chinese do as they please, with scant regard for the rules that constrain others. The most common reaction, though, has been simple disbelief.

Read more here.

MR

Adoptions Down Under are Down

From the Australian:

ADOPTION continues to fall out of favour in Australia, with just 384 recorded in 2010-11 -- the lowest on record.

The decline is a result of changing conditions in countries that previously provided inter-country adoptions, such as South Korea, along with a fall in the number of local children considered in need of adoption, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found.

In a report titled Adoptions Australia 2010-11, released yesterday, the AIHW noted that more than half the adoptions in the year were from overseas, and most of the local adoptions were of known children, where there was a pre-existing relationship with a step-parent or carer.

Just 49 Australian-born children outside the known category were adopted in the 2010-11 year, the institute found.

Read more here.

MR

DC Same-Sex Divorce Bill

From the Washington Post:

A bill tackling divorce for same-sex couples who marry in the District but want to divorce in another state has quietly garnered support from a majority of D.C. Council members.

The Civil Marriage Dissolution Equality Amendment Act of 2011 was introduced by Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and co-sponsored by eight of 13 council members. It would allow same-sex couples who married in the District but have moved away to divorce without having to return to complete a six-month residency requirement, which is currently mandatory.

Read more here.

MR

Swedish Ban on Corporal Punishment

CNN recently ran an interesting piece and video on the 1970's Swedish ban on corporal punishment, which has resulted in a generation of kids who  have never received a spanking.  See them here.

MR 

 

Child-Trafficking in China

From the BBC:

Police in China say they have rescued nearly 200 children after uncovering two child-trafficking gangs.

More than 600 people were arrested in raids in 10 Chinese provinces.

A BBC correspondent in Beijing says the staggering numbers in the investigation reveal the scale of the country's child-trafficking problem.

Critics blame China's one-child policy and lax adoption laws, which they say have created a thriving underground market for buying children.

Read more here.

MR

 

Decisionmakers' Personal Lives

From the Huffington Post:

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeal heard argument yesterday on whether the decision of Judge Vaughn Walker, who presided over the trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, ruling it unconstitutional, should be overturned. The argument, being advocated by so-called "pro-marriage" groups, and not by any governmental agency seeking to uphold Proposition 8, seems absurd. However, a decision in the matter has far-reaching implications for our judicial system, particularly in Family Law Courts where decisions are made by a judge and not a jury.

Read more here.

MR