Abstract: This is the introduction to a special issue of articles on international adoption, summing up their relevance to the debate in the field. International adoption is in turmoil, with a dramatic reduction in recent years in the number of children placed in adoptive homes. These articles provide important new support for international adoption as an appropriate way to advance children’s rights and interests. And they provide information about ways to address any problems of corruption and abuse, without penalizing unparented children by denying them the homes they need.