Center for Children, Law, and Ethics

08/09/2022

Last month, Pope Francis issued a public apology on behalf of the Catholic Church for its role in Canada's "catastrophic" residential school systems. In his article "Beyond Apologies: Children, Mothers, Religious Liberty, and the Mission of the Catholic Church," CCLE Director David Smolin addresses the wrongdoing of residential schools and the unjust treatment of single mothers from religious liberty and theological perspectives.

The article, soon to be published in the Cumberland Law Review, can be found here:

This article addresses, from religious liberty and theological perspectives, two sets of serious errors in the treatment of mothers and children, in which the Catholic Church (and other churches) participated.  These serious errors have created credibility gaps regarding the Church’s mission ...

04/16/2022

Posting latest work on intercountry adoption by Professor David Smolin from his bepress site where it is available for free full-text download:

Intercountry adoptions declined by 86 per cent between 2004 and 2019.  The COVID-19 pandemic is deepening those declines. Stark statistical reductions in intercountry adoption have been accompanied by the increasing recognition of illicit practices as a chronic feature of intercountry adoption....

08/03/2021

Did you know that many children located in international orphanages are not actually orphans?

Check out this Finding Humanity podcast to hear the CCLE Director David Smolin discuss his own adoption experience and various ethical issues stemming from international adoption.

‎Show Finding Humanity, Ep [S0305] Separated: The Ethics of Adoption | Lynelle Long - Jul 27, 2021

04/17/2019

We have updated our website with photos, bios, and names of students who have participated this academic year. Check it out under the "Student Involvement" tab!

Our Center facilitates the production of meaningful, influential scholarship, projects and advice, in the field of children’s issues.

04/01/2019

Here are some of our Cumberland student research teams who have been working on various topics connected to children's issues such as adoption, surrogacy, immigration, theology, pediatrics/bioethics, and children's rights.

03/07/2019

The semester has been a busy one at the Center for Children, Law & Ethics! Take some time to get to know our research teams. We will be highlighting a few of our teams in the upcoming weeks ahead. Check out our awesome Juvenile Justice and Crimes Against Children team.

01/23/2019

Take some time this Wednesday morning to read the CCLE Director David Smolin's article in the Cumberland Law Review "The One Hundred Thousand Dollar Baby: The Ideological Roots of a New American Export." Smolin has been working on the problem of the sale or trafficking of children, in the context of adoption and surrogacy for many years. Comments are welcome!

The thesis of this article is controversial: The United States of America, as represented by the United States government, some states, and leading legal institutions, is actively building worldwide markets in children. The ideological roots of these actions span left-right divides, making it more d...

01/17/2019

Many thanks to this group of Cumberland students working with the Center for Children, Law and Ethics this Spring 2019! We're excited for a great semester ahead.

03/09/2014

We have updated the Center website. Team leaders for this semester can be found at: http://cumberland.samford.edu/ccle/student-research-associates

The Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, AL - Where Good People Become Exceptional Lawyers

01/03/2014

The Center and Director, David Smolin, were featured in December's "Groundbreakers" issue of The Birmingham Magazine.

http://www.al.com/bhammag/index.ssf/features/groundbreakers.html

11/06/2013

We are very pleased to announce that Jane Jeong Trenka and Kim Park Nelson, two of the most significant voices in the world on international adoption issues, will be presenting and interacting at Samford University this Thursday, Nov. 7th, at an event sponsored by the Center. The event is open, so contact Professor Smolin at [email protected] for details if you are interested in participating.

10/28/2013

Center Director, David Smolin, was recently quoted in an article by The Associated Press.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=241190681

Challenging time for Christian adoption movement