Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) wants to “end predatory practices” by adoption agencies (“Adoption bill targets legal loopholes,” Page 1, March 27), and therefore has sponsored a bill that mandates that all Illinois adoption agencies be not-for-profit. The case of Baby Tamia and the not-for-profit Utah adoption agency, however, argues that an organization’s tax-paying status is not a determinant of nor a reflection on the quality of services it provides. If the state can’t find a way to end abuses through its licensing process, then it is the licensing process that is at fault. Adoption reform in Illinois should indeed address the fact that no mechanism currently exists to track complaints against adoption agencies, but it would be unconscionable to mandate the organizational structure of the agencies.
