RECENT ADOPTION DECISIONS CAUSE WORRY TO SOME PARENTS

When Bob and Laraine Adams of Jackson adopted their children more than 10 years ago, they didn't worry about the biological parents returning to take them away.

"Things are different these days," said Laraine Adams. "We took all the necessary precautions and we knew that the biological parents could never try to come back and claim our children. It's not so easy anymore. If we were adopting today, we would be scared of what could happen."

Recent court decisions have made many adoptive parents nervous and future adoptive parents reluctant, said Dale Trimberger, director of Lutheran Children and Family Services in Cape Girardeau.

In 1992, Baby Jessica's biological parents won a court battle to get custody of their daughter from her adopted parents. It had a chilling effect on adoptions nationwide.

This year the Illinois Supreme Court voted to return a 3 1/2-year-old adopted boy to his biological father, who claimed that Baby Richard's mother told him the child was dead. On Tuesday, the Illinois Supreme Court refused to rehear the case, and the future for adoption looks dim to many adoption agencies.

"Baby Jessica had a profound impact on the adoption world," said Paulette Foerster, coordinator of adoption at Lutheran Family andChildren's Services state office. "It made adoptive parents feel less secure and it made biological parents less willing to give their children up. I can't imagine what an awful effect this new case will have."

Trimberger believes the cases could have a serious effect on area adoptions. "We've talked about this sort of thing in our support groups for adoptive parents, and it scares parents and children as well," he said.

"We clearly need laws that will protect the needs of the child," Foerster said. "In these cases those needs aren't being met."

Currently, many adoption agencies require that the father be named and consulted before the baby is given up for adoption. If the father is unknown, the agency prints a notice in the newspaper.

Some states have a law that says that if a man has sexual relations with a woman, it is his responsibility to find out if he fathered a child. But in Baby Richard's case, it was a matter of fraud, Foerster said.

"I fear this will make people more reluctant to choose adoption," Foerster said. "Adoption can be a good decision for all, but it has to be an informed decision."