Arizona Courts Open for National Adoption Day

November 15, 9:29 AMPhoenix Travel ExaminerJay Hammond

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Adoption is a process shrouded in mystery. Today, November 15, 18 judicial officers are helping strip some of that mystery away as part of National Adoption Day events. the public is invited to the Durango Juvenile Court between 9 a.m. and 2. p.m. for an inside look at adoption hearings.

I invite everyone interested in  adotping a child to come to Juvenile Court, watch an actual adoption hearing, obtain information about the process, and share the joy they will see on the face of every child.- Presiding Juvenile Court Judge Eileen Willetts

In the past, birth parents had little, if any contact with children given up for adoption or the families adopting them. Adoption was a great secret, sometimes for legal reasons and sometimes for personal ones. Children may or may not have been told that they were adopted. if they were told, they had to fight, sometimes for years, to get access to medical records or discover who their birth families were. Some never found out.

The stigma of adoption has been fading in recent years, thanks to events like National Adoption Day and very public adoptions by celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. These events have raised public awareness about adoption. Yet, more than 120,000 children nationwide are still in need of permanent families and homes.

 National Adotption Day is celebrated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More than 20,000 children have been adopted from foster care on National Adotption Day in the last eight years.

Arizona has been a leader in taking the mystery out of adoptions, participating in National Adoption Day for the past nine years. Among the 226 adoptions that will be finalized today are those of the Gaede family of Gilbert and the Nicolini family of Surprise. Both are adopting little girls with special needs. Today's adoptions, which are 15 percent higher than the record number of adoptions finalized last year, make this the largest National Adoption Day celebration in Maricopa County's history.

"Our community is so grateful for and fortunate to have men and women who open their hearts and homes to children who need them," Judge Willett said. "Every child deserves a familiy to love."

Even if you are not interested in adopting a child in Arizona, this is a great opportunity to witness the justice system in action. For RealTV (formerly CourtTV) junkies as well as adopted persons and their families, this is a chance to view court proceedings that normally aren't covered by the media and gain insight into the American legal system in situations where everyone involved wins.