If you are adopting from Ethiopia or know someone who is (and, dare I say, any other country), you need to read this posting from The Dalai Mama's blog about posting referral pictures. She recounts the story very well. Thank you Stacie for pointing out this very informative posting.
A number of bloggers have their referrals and had originally posted the pictures they received from the foster home. Now they are taking them down. Or THEY SHOULD TAKE THEM DOWN. This goes for pictures on a blog or Facebook, or any other such public place.
By Ethiopian law, pictures of the children can NOT be posted until the adoption has been approved through the Ethiopian court system and the child(ren) is legally yours. One poor family lost their chance to adopt an Ethiopian child because they had referral pictures up on their blog. It all came about in a horrible, underhanded way and my heart aches for them.
It seems that not all agencies/SWs advise their clients of this law. I can't understand why not.
Very early on during my adoption process, I was instructed a number of times by my agency and by my SW during my homestudy not to post my referral pictures publicly (or my child's Ethiopian name/birth family details) until she is officially mine. When the time comes for my referral I will promptly blog about it but sans pictures and her Ethiopian name. I will settle for emailing M's picture out to a private group of people.
It's really, really tragic that the family mentioned earlier, lost their child this way. The world of the Internet is a very tricky one - privacy is a bit of an illusion, I think. You have to be so careful - especially where children are involved.
