05/31/2007 - National Legal News

A LaPorte, Minnesota couple is posting handmade signs throughout Minnesota and Iowa in an attempt to find a child to adopt.

Tom and Claire Halverson have tried unsuccessfully to adopt a child, preferably an infant, for the past three years after learning they could no longer have biological children. In a creative attempt to find a son or daughter, the Halversons have posted handmade 3′ x 4′ signs on roadsides for the past few weeks. The billboards direct anyone with helpful information to the couple’s website.

A pregnant Des Moines woman has expressed interest in offering the Halversons her child in November, but the couple hopes that more people respond because they already experienced disappointment earlier this year when a scheduled adoption was cancelled.

A spokesman for the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute said that despite the Halverson’s creative attempts, their signs raise concerns because billboards are typically used to sell products, and the Halversons’ signs may give the impression of selling a family.

The Halversons dispute any contention that their billboards cross an ethical boundary. Tom Halverson said that for couples that cannot afford to pursue adoption through traditional methods, successfully adopting a child is like winning the lottery.