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Lawmakers do love an alphabet soup when it comes to naming their legislation. But for some, if the clever name helps it stick in the minds of those who will be voting for it, the wordplay is worth the effort.
Such is the case with the Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection and Transparency (ADOPT) Act (and its accompanying Hospital Adoption Education Act) being introduced by U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio.
According to Husted's office, the aim of the bill, which is co-led by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., is to fight exploitation by unlicensed adoption intermediaries and protect adoptees and expectant mothers.
Among changes the bill would impose are limiting adoption professionals to running paid advertisements only in states where they hold a license, ensuring payments to expectant mothers are made through providers licensed where the mother lives, and prohibiting unlicensed entities from advertising or providing adoption services.
In addition, the Hospital Adoption Education Act would require the development of training for certain health care professionals to provide accurate, ethical and unbiased information to expectant mothers who are considering adoption. The bill would also gather adoption experts to develop and share best practices for health care professionals to use when they interact with birth mothers and adoptive families.
It is a good example of bipartisan efforts in Congress, which should be employed more often.