by Cindy Freidmutter

About the author: Cindy Freidmutter is the former executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a policy and research organization. On May 22, 2002, she testified before the House Committee on International Relations hearings on implementing regulations on international adoptions.

Thank you for inviting me to testify about how the federal government can effectively implement the Hague Convention and the Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA)1 to improve international adoption services for adoptive families, birth parents and adopted children and ensure a more ethical adoption environment internationally. I represent the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (Adoption Institute), a not-for-profit national policy and research organization devoted to improving the quality of adoption policy and practice, and the public’s perception of adoption. Throughout the regulatory drafting process, the Adoption Institute...