Supporters of Dusten Brown, the
Cherokee Nation father who lost his daughter to a non-Indian couple, are hoping the controversy will lead to adoption reforms in Oklahoma.
The Stand Our Ground group wants the state to improve oversight of the
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. In Brown's case and another one involving an Indian child, it appears the children were taken out of the state without advance notification.
"Oklahoma seems to be in the practice of signing ICPCs retroactively, after children have already left the state," professor Nicky Kay Michael, one of the founders of the group, told the Tulsa World. "That needs to stop."
The group also says birth parents should have the right to a hearing before surrendering any of their rights. Brown was given some documents that he didn't fully understand.
"Adoption is great for children who really need it," Johnna Hurt, another founder, told the paper. "But why are we taking kids away for adoption when they have fathers who want them?"
Get the Story:
Group to push for adoption reforms
(The Tulsa World 11/4)
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