Today I wanted to let you know about a new organization that is working to promote policies and practices in immigration and legislature that will give children who are adopted into American families the same rights and opportunities as children who are born into American families.

EACH stands for Equality for Adopted Children, and they advocate for children by working with Congress, the White House and government agencies. The mission of EACH is to achieve equal treatment between adopted and biological children of American citizens under federal and state laws.

E – Every child is created equal, but not every child is treated equally under the law.

A – An adopted child is entitled to the same rights, duties and responsibilities as a biological child.

C – Children who were adopted should have access to the same and equal opportunities as biological children.

H - Help make this a reality through your active participation in EACH and the legislative process!

Here is their statement of principles:

1. All children deserve a permanent family and home.
2. Adopted children are to be treated as if the “natural issue” of their adoptive parents. They are due the same rights, duties and responsibilities as a biological child.
3. Both domestic and foreign-born adopted children of American citizens deserve equal treatment under state and federal laws.
4. Neither federal nor state laws should show preference to biological children over adopted children.
5. Federal law should not treat foreign adopted children of American citizens as immigrants but rather as dependent children of American parents.
6. Families formed or enlarged by adoption deserve the same treatment under state and federal law as families with biological children.
7. The adoption process must ensure that safeguards remain in place to protect birth families, orphans, homeless children and adoptive families from fraud and abuse.
8. The adoption process should be as simple and streamlined as possible in order that more children who need families can be placed in a permanent family and home.

EACH is the first advocacy group in Washington D.C. whose sole purpose is to advocate for adopted children and their families. They do not represent any adoption agency, attorney or any other organization. EACH plans to be the “voice of adopted children and their families” before Congress and the Executive Branch.

EACH is advocating for the elimination of the immigration process for internationally adopted children of U.S. citizens. If Josh and I traveled to Ethiopia while I was pregnant (ain't happening by the way) and I happened to give birth while we were there, our child would be given a "Consular Report of Birth" and a United States Passport, and would be able to travel home with us as a U.S. citizen. However, when Josh and I travel to Ethiopia to get a child that we have adopted, we have to go through the immigration process.

EACH wants to see children who receive full and final adoption decrees in their country of birth to be able to receive a Consular Report of Birth and a U.S. passport, and be able to travel home as American citizens, since they would be the legal children of American citizens.

Could you imagine how grand it would be to be able to adopt internationally without the immigration process? How nice would it be to be saved the time, headache and money involved with the I600A and the fingerprints? How wonderful would it be not to have to worry about Embassy appointments, visa medical appointments and waiting on immigration to grant a visa?

For parents adopting HIV+ children, this would also mean no waiver process, which would mean saving $565 and getting our children home that much faster.

J. McLane Layton is the founder and president of EACH, and I owe her a great deal. Last year when we traveled to Ethiopia to get our Belane, her immigration process was a stressful nightmare that took over two months.

A bunch of us adoptive parents of HIV+ children who were fed up with the waiver process put our stories together and printed up some booklets that we distributed to anyone we thought had the power and interest to change things. One of the moms heard about Ms. Layton, and just a short time after getting in touch with her, HIV+ children started coming home to their families months sooner.

Now, immigration waivers for HIV+ children are being processed in a matter of one to two weeks, and we will be able to travel to bring home our Solomon with a whole lot less to worry about.

You can learn more about EACH on their website. If you support their cause, you can sign up to be an EACH member (there is no charge for this). In Washington, the more people supporting a cause, the strong the voice is. Please feel free to share this post with anyone you think would be interested in supporting EACH. :)