Sarah Holm/Civil Beat
Why A Crackdown On This Growing Adoption Pipeline Just Hasn’t Worked
Adoption advocates, hospital workers, even judges are at a loss when it comes to stopping illegal adoptions that are delivering babies from the Marshall Islands to U.S. families.
April Estrellon/Civil Beat
Marshallese Adoptions Fuel A Lucrative Practice For Some Lawyers
U.S. and Marshall Islands officials say the law clearly bars women from traveling to America to give up babies for adoption. But some attorneys are still taking advantage of lax oversight and willing families.
Related Coverage
Courtesy of Roxane Cartwright
One Family’s Marshallese Adoption Odyssey
Many adoptive parents document their adoption "journey." For this couple, the better term would be "ordeal."
The Baltimore Sun
Birth Moms Sometimes Face Adoption Fraud Charges
But defense attorneys question why lawyers involved in the deals that go sour never face scrutiny.
Courtesy: Shared Beginnings
This Arkansas Nonprofit Is Trying To Facilitate Lawful Marshallese Adoptions
Still, Marshallese community leaders think it would be better to end all U.S. adoptions from the island nation.
www.srmt-nsn.gov
Native American Families Once Faced A Similar Adoption Crisis
Experts say Marshallese adoptions would benefit from the rules put in place to stop adoption abuse and cultural loss in Native American tribes.
Jessica Terrell/Civil Beat
Desperate Birth Mothers Are Seeking A Better Life
Lack of economic opportunity, educational challenges and rising sea level convince many Marshallese that their babies would be better off with other families in the U.S.
April Estrellon/Civil Beat
Adoptive Parents Attracted By Marshallese Adoptions
The wait for a baby, cutbacks in other countries and the cost of adoption in the U.S. prompts some prospective parents into sticky situations.
Sarah Holm/Civil Beat
There’s A Distinct Disconnect Between American And Marshallese Adoptions
In the U.S., it's common for an adopted child to lose contact with birth parents. In the Marshall Islands, adopted children return to the birth family when they are 18 if not sooner.
Ongoing Coverage
Screenshot/2019
Georgia Adoption Consultants Helped Honolulu Lawyer Place Marshallese Babies
The Christian referral service said it didn't know Marshallese women were flying to the U.S. for adoptions, but the materials it sent to adoptive parents on behalf of attorney Laurie Loomis made it clear.
Jessica Terrell/Civil Beat
Hawaii Disciplinary Counsel To Investigate Lawyer Who Ran Marshallese Baby Business
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel said a Civil Beat story triggered the investigation into attorney Laurie Loomis.
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
This Honolulu Lawyer Has Run A Marshallese Baby Business With Impunity
Laurie Loomis' operation, including flying women from the Marshall Islands for adoptions, resembles that of a recently indicted Arizona lawyer, but thus far she has faced no consequences.
Jessica Terrell / Civil Beat/2018
Crackdown On Illegal Marshallese Adoptions Comes After More Than A Decade Of Inaction
After the charging of a prominent Arizona adoption attorney in three states for multiple offenses, authorities say more actions are coming.
maricopa.gov
Major Player In Black Market Marshallese Adoptions Faces Criminal Charges
Paul Petersen, an Arizona attorney who was the focus of a Honolulu Civil Beat investigation, is the target of a multi-state investigation.
Sarah Holm/Civil Beat
Feds Charge Arkansas Fixer With Luring Marshallese Women To US For Illegal Adoptions
Maki Takehisa, identified as a fixer in a Civil Beat investigation last year, worked with an Arizona attorney to arrange black market adoptions.
Jessica Terrell/Civil Beat
Texas Agency Forced To Shutter Marshallese Adoption Business
Adoptions International, which flew in Marshallese birth mothers through Hawaii, was suspended in June and last week lost its accreditation.
Jessica Terrell/Civil Beat
Texas Agency Ordered To Stop Marshall Islands Adoptions
Attorney Jody Hall, the subject of a Civil Beat investigation, told clients she would fly in birth mothers from the Marshall Islands in defiance of U.S. and Marshallese law.
Jessica Terrell/Civil Beat
This Texas Lawyer Flies Marshallese Women Through Hawaii For Black Market Adoptions
In texts and emails with adoptive parents, Dallas lawyer Jody Hall openly flouts laws restricting Marshallese adoptions in the U.S.
Sarah Holm/Civil Beat
Well-Known Adoption Fixer Charged With Human Trafficking
The case offers a rare glimpse into the thriving adoption pipeline to the U.S., documented in a Civil Beat investigation in November.
April Estrellon/Civil Beat
Court Cases Open Window Into Marshallese Adoptions
A lawsuit by a Kentucky couple alleges that an Arkansas attorney offered to fly a Marshallese birth mother to the U.S. despite a treaty that bars such travel