The legislature yesterday overhauled the country’s adoption system, recognizing government-licensed non-profit institutions as the sole legal channel for the adoption of children and adolescents, in a bid to prevent the sale of babies.
After drawn-out deliberation, the legislature unanimously amended the Children and Youth Welfare Act (兒童及青少年福利法), renaming it the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法).
Six months after the promulgation of the new act, placement of children and adolescents for adoption can now only be undertaken by parents or guardians through non-profit corporations or placement and educational institutes for children and adolescents which have received official authorization.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The act stipulates that parents or guardians must commission a legally designated institution to locate suitable couples.
Exceptions to the rules apply to two situations — when adoptees are given to close blood relatives or relatives by marriage or when a spouse adopts a child of his or her partner.
Currently, other than applying to registered adoption institutions, people can also seek to establish an adoption case through court proceedings.
The amended act allows judges to demand that adopters receive parenting lessons and undergo psychological assessments and tests for alcohol and drug dependence before a court ruling on an adoption case.
Child Welfare Bureau director Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) said the current adoption system leaves open the possibility of black-market trafficking of babies.
Under the new legal framework, legal adoption institutions are required to visit the original family to assess the need to put a child up for adoption after a case is received and conduct a thorough assessment of the adoptive family before the child adoption is approved.
National adoption takes precedence over international adoption, the rules stipulated.
The amended rules also allow the ministry to set up regulations governing the establishment and management of adoption institutions and rules on the level of adoption fees.
People found operating adoption services without licenses could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 and have their names and institutions placed on a public blacklist.
The amendments also ban newspapers from publishing content deemed potentially harmful to the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including the description of rape, molestation, suicide and drug abuse, as well as words and photographs depicting violent or erotic subject matter.
The ban, however, does not apply when newspapers cite a public document issued by a judicial or administrative agency.
The amendments require all publications to be properly classified according to their content to protect children.
In addition, those who circulate Internet content deemed harmful to children without taking proper measures can be fined up to NT$500,000.
The amendments initially sparked debate over their possible impact on freedom of speech because the proposal presented by the Executive Yuan suggested banning newspapers from carrying any content that could have an adverse influence on children and adolescents, such as detailed descriptions and portrayals of crimes, violence and nudity.
Lawmakers resolved this controversy by requiring newspaper associations to draw up their own regulations governing the publication of content within a three-month period of the promulgation of the new law.
Additional reporting by CNA
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS