For good and ill, adoption transformed by Internet

In the emotion-charged realm of adoption, the Internet has been a transformative force, often for good, sometimes for ill.

Disabled parents face bias, loss of kids

Millions of Americans with disabilities have gained innumerable rights and opportunities in recent years, but advocates say barriers can block one basic human right: To be a parent.

Report: Disabled parents face bias, loss of kids

Millions of Americans with disabilities have gained innumerable rights and opportunities since Congress passed landmark legislation on their behalf in 1990. And yet, advocates say, barriers and bias still abound when it comes to one basic human right: To be a parent.

Sally Ride sparks posthumous debate on coming out

Pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, who relished privacy as much as she did adventure, chose an appropriately discreet manner of coming out.

Obama a socialist? Many scoff, but claim persists

NEW YORK | When President Barack Obama's re-election campaign unveiled its new slogan, some conservative critics were quick to pounce.

Wildlife trapping: strong feelings for and against

COOLBAUGH, Pa. | Barry Warner has loved wildlife since boyhood, and lived out his dream of becoming a conservation officer. He sees no contradiction in the fact that he's also a lifelong trapper, skilled at capturing wild animals and, if appropriate, killing them as part of an avocation that…

Moving on from 9/11? Not everyone ready

The momentous anniversary has come and gone, and the nation will move forward, as always. Yet to many Americans, the concept of "moving on" from Sept. 11 doesn't make sense.

Cashing in is harder for some Olympians than others

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | For Shaun White, Kim Yu-na and a few other household names, spectacular triumphs at the Vancouver Games will enhance already immense earning power. For lesser-known Winter Olympians, cashing in is not so easy.

Despite luge death, Olympic games open

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | In time-honored tradition, the show went on. Despite the training-run death earlier in the day of a luger from the country of Georgia, the Olympics' opening ceremonies were launched Friday night with a jubilant countdown by the crowd filling BC Place Stadium.

Report: More men get economic boost from marriage

NEW YORK | Historically, marriage was the surest route to financial security for women. Nowadays it's men who are increasingly getting the biggest economic boost from tying the knot, according to a new analysis of census data.

Adoption groups decry horror film with evil orphan

Often divided over policy and practice, America's adoption community has unified in dismay over "Orphan," a horror movie opening next week that its critics say will fuel negative attitudes toward real-life orphans.

Meltdown fallout: some parents rethink toy-buying

In a season that inspires earnest letters about toys, one notable batch is being sent not by kids to Santa's workshop but by parents to the executive suites of real-world toy makers.

No fooling: Experts bemoan loss of kids' play time

In one classroom, a group of preschool teachers squatted on the floor, pretending to be cave-dwelling hunter-gatherers. Next door, another group ended a raucous musical game by placing their tambourines and drums atop their heads.

Hard times complicate recruiting of foster parents

A veteran of 15 years in child welfare, Penny Esser has never weathered a tougher climate for the work to which she's so devoted -- recruiting foster parents.

For homeless kids, a welcome summer getaway

The giggles and banter echoed those at any typical summer camp, but the name of this lakeside getaway -- Camp Homeward Bound -- reflected an element of wishful thinking for many of the children.

More illegal immigrant women taking housekeeper and nanny jobs

HOUSTON | In the debate over immigration, they are virtually unheard, unseen: the hundreds of thousands of foreign-born women, many of them in the U.S. illegally, who toil in America's homes as nannies, cooks and housekeepers, changing diapers and scrubbing floors.

Africans find opportunities, wariness in U.S

WASHINGTON | They range from surgeons and scholars to illiterate refugees from some of the world's worst hellholes -- a dizzyingly varied stream of African immigrants to the United States. More than 1 million strong and growing, they are enlivening America's cities and altering how the natio…

Ex-NAACP head now on CBS board hopes company will fire Don Imus

NEW YORK | Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp., said Wednesday the broadcasting company needs a "zero tolerance policy" on racism and hopes talk-show host Don Imus is fired for his demeaning remarks about the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team.

Evangelicals intensify battle against public schools

NEW YORK | Public schools take a lot of criticism, but a growing, loosely organized movement is now moving from harsh words to action -- with parents taking their own children out of public schools and exhorting other families to do the same.

Doping, head-butts and brawls: sports fans struggle to keep faith in the stars

NEW YORK | Sports fans want so much to believe in heroes. Yet so often, lately, disillusionment overtakes devotion.

Too young for TV?

The creators of "Sesame Street" released a new line of videos Tuesday targeted for children as young as six months, outraging some child-development experts who feel no form of TV or video is suitable for kids under 2.

Send in the clowns

OLYMPICS | CLOSING CEREMONY

Streamlined hockey uniform will hit the ice in Turin

2006 WINTER OLYMPICS

Barriers falling for HIV-positive patients seeking kidney and liver transplants

Buoyed by a legislative victory in California and a court ruling in Arizona, advocacy groups say they are making significant headway in efforts to ensure that HIV-positive people have the same access as other patients to kidney and liver transplants.

Efforts intensify to support doctors and pharmacists opposed to abortion and emergency contraception

NEW YORK -- In Congress and states nationwide, anti-abortion activists are broadening efforts to support hospitals, doctors and pharmacists who -- citing moral grounds -- want to opt out of services linked to abortion and emergency contraception.

Bereaved parents try to fill the emptiness

NEW YORK -- Brooke Oglesby was 7 when she drowned in a hot tub. So was Brian Ruby when he died of leukemia. Wade Edwards was 16 when he was killed eight years ago in an auto accident.

Gay marriage opponents hope for Election Day backlash

BOSTON (AP) -- With gays and lesbians now legally wed in Massachusetts, foes of gay marriage vowed Tuesday to campaign hard, in state and national elections, for candidates willing to reverse the tide.

Two-mom Mother's Day

They hope for the right to marry -- someday, for the sake of their infant twins. However, two lesbian couples on opposite sides of America are savoring the here-and-now joys of their first Mother's Day as mothers.

Divorce is not just for young couples anymore

Jane Harkleroad marked her first anniversary Nov. 17 -- the anniversary of the divorce that ended a 37-year marriage.

Under pressure from protesters, some retailers withdraw "Boys Are Stupid" merchandise

NEW YORK -- The T-shirts and pajamas are meant to be funny, with cartoon captions like "Boys Are Stupid -- Throw Rocks At Them." But some protesters, encouraged by a fathers-rights talk show host, are unamused and have pressured three retail chains into dropping the merchandise.

Breakups of long marriages become more common

NEW YORK -- Jane Harkleroad marked her first anniversary on Nov. 17 -- the anniversary of the divorce that ended a 37-year marriage.

Not a smart gamble

Whether with their friends at parties, at school or in solitude on the Internet, millions of American teens are taking up an ever-more-accessible national pastime -- gambling.

Taking aim

Call it the sport-utility paradox: With their high profile, both on the road and in the public imagination, SUVs have become the most coveted and most reviled vehicles in America.