International adoption topic of upcoming talk

With rules and protocol on international adoptions shifting, a talk this week in Des Plaines will help those contemplating adoption.

Judy Stigger, director of international adoption at The Cradle in Evanston, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood Ave.

Stigger, mother of two adopted children, said her talk will combine her personal experience and her knowledge of international adoption working with The Cradle, a private, nonprofit Illinois adoption agency.

Stigger hopes to provide the information that will help people make informed decisions about international adoption.

"That will be a chance for people to decide whether they really want to or not," she said.

There have been recent changes in international adoption rules. Guatemala this year started operating under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions, which requires government agencies to regulate adoptions to ensure babies haven't been bought or stolen.

As a result, Guatemala has suspended international adoption as it works to create a new process.

More than 4,000 babies from Guatemala were adopted by U.S. parents in 2006, the second highest source of U.S. adoptions behind China.

Vietnam recently announced plans to restrict adoptions beginning in September due to various allegations of misconduct from both U.S. and Vietnamese officials.

"It's changing the face of international adoption right now," Stigger said.

Celebrity news also has changed the way people consider international adoptions.

Since actress Angelina Jolie's adoption of an Ethiopian baby a few years ago, more people are interested in adopting from Africa. "I think it brought it onto people's radar screens," she said.

A second session next week will focus on domestic adoption.

For those interested in learning more about domestic options, Tobi Ehrenpreis, executive director of the Adoption Center For Family Building, an adoption agency licensed in Illinois and Indiana, and Shelley Ballard, an adoption attorney, will present an overview at 7 p.m. June 25 at the library.

Both sessions are free, but registration is required at dppl.org or (847) 376-2787.