Should Gay Couples Adopt?

Even though my news alert folder has been filled with stories about this, I was not planning to write about it. I like to write about things that touch my heart in some way. I like to write about things that I can relate to a story from my past or something I’ve seen or read. I don’t want to go out of my way to be provocative and controversial. What is the controversial issue that I am so loath to cover, you might ask? Gay couples not being allowed to adopt. I’ve been getting stories from all over the … Continue reading →

The “Baby Moses Law”

There are a number of newborn or very young babies abandoned every year. Too often, they are left somewhere that they cannot survive for a long enough time to be found. In 1999, the Texas legislature passed a “Baby Moses Law”. This law set up a procedure by which a parent could abandon a baby safely and without further responsibility or criminal liability. Many states have since passed similar laws. The nickname “Baby Moses” comes from the biblical account of how the mother of Moses abandoned him in a place where he would be rescued and nursed to health. She … Continue reading →

Proposed Foster Care Reform in Texas

A Texas legislator, who authored the bills passed two years ago to reform the foster care system in the state, says that not enough progress has been made. Those bills authorized increased spending to hire more investigators for child abuse cases. She has now introduced additional legislation to extend foster care rules and regulations. Last year, almost 35,000 children went through the state’s foster care organization and there are 20,000 or so children in the system at any given time. Her bills would improve the care that these children receive. Her legislation, if passed, would mandate that more inspections be … Continue reading →

Foster Care Reform

The Texas legislature has apparently become very concerned with recent revelations in regard to huge deficiencies in the state’s ability to oversee foster homes and child care facilities. Outside of Dallas, a six year old child was recently murdered by a very violent teenage member of her foster family. In this incident which was reported in a previous blog, the state’s lax supervision practices were brought to light. A top CPS official was called upon to testify before a legislative committee in a public hearing. The administrator came under intense questioning. He promised the legislators that his agency is working … Continue reading →

Educational Crisis in Texas

In my two previous blogs, I wrote about disadvantaged children that my wife and I had worked with in Houston. One of the really sad aspects of their lives is the fact that the majority of them will not graduate from high school. Our adopted children would have grown up in similar circumstances. The problem is that there is no one to rescue these kids. Several private organizations have released startling statistics that reflect that disadvantaged children in Texas have a poor chance of graduating. In the average year, over thirty per cent of the kids who started high school … Continue reading →

CHIP, Many Children’s Only Health Coverage Option

The Children’s Health Insurance Program, better know as CHIP, is funded by the federal government and administered by the states. The program was originally funded for a ten year period which is about to expire. Throughout the country, various groups that campaign for children’s health issues have been holding meetings to discuss the issue and urge people to write their congressmen and other state and federal leaders about it. CHIP had become particularly controversial in Texas where participation in the program has been decreasing in the last few years by as much as forty per cent. This was a direct … Continue reading →