Other common rules governing adoption in Islamic culture address inheritance, marriage regulations, and the fact that adoptive parents are considered trustees of another individual's child rather than the child's new parents.

Professor Means, who also had a home in Gloucester, Mass., was an expert in the laws governing abortion, surrogacy and adoption.

The woman, whose name was not revealed because of confidentiality laws governing adoption, could almost feel the birth pains, she said.

To act otherwise, they argue, would skew decisions on questions such as when parents' rights should be terminated, how long children should be permitted to stay in foster care and what rules should govern adoption.

Permission for Adoption Laws governing adoption, custody and ending parental rights predate surrogate parenthood, Judge Sorkow held.

Historically, some societies have enacted specific laws governing adoption; where others have tried to achieve adoption through less formal means, notably via contracts that specified inheritance rights and parental responsibilities without an accompanying transfer of filiation.

The adoption last year by Madonna, under an interim order, prompted questions about the use of celebrity to circumvent laws governing adoption of Malawians by foreigners.

This natural interest should be honored by changes to policies governing assisted reproduction as well as adoption.

While we know that the Hague Convention essentially governs inter-country adoption, we also know that 26 of the 27 Member States are signatories to it.

SOA governance refers to the processes used to govern adoption and implementation of SOA.