Though we’ve made progress, “there’s still a long way to go” when it comes to the adoption process, says a family expert — including protecting the safety of young people who are in foster care as they await permanent, loving families.

The Selfless Love Foundation’s National Think Tank is a collective force of change-makers aiming to improve the foster care adoption process in this country. The annual conference, which took place in October, brings together young people who have experienced foster care, as well as child welfare leaders and policymakers from over 30 states. 

The National Think Tank is a strategic plan to influence federal policy and state-level action to transform the foster care adoption process to best serve children.

FACILITATING THE INTEGRATION OF ADOPTED CHILDREN INTO YOUR FAMILY

On the heels of the October 2025 Think Tank, lead researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago will create a road map and actionable next steps for each state.

For National Adoption Month in November, I spoke with Ashley Brown, founder and CEO of Selfless Love. She and her husband started their nonprofit 10 years ago, in 2015 — and she has said her own adoption as an infant “changed the trajectory” of her life. She’s been on “America’s Newsroom” several times. Read on for her thoughtful answers to some important questions!

Q: How is the U.S. taking care of foster care children and encouraging adoption? 

Ashley Brown: As a nation, we’ve made progress, but there’s still a long way to go. Many people would be surprised to learn that in most states, photos of children available for adoption are posted publicly online. 

While that approach to adoption recruitment may have made sense before the internet’s evolution — it can also put young people at risk. 

In Florida, Selfless Love Foundation worked alongside youth to help pass a law that protects children’s images from public view. It also gives children aged 12 and up a say in the photos and information shared on adoption sites.

An entire day of the National Think Tank was dedicated to this specific issue. We also looked at adoption recruitment and post-adoption support for families, as the goal is not just child placement — but permanency.

Q: What are the biggest obstacles to making more progress?

Brown: One of the biggest obstacles to progress is the lack of a federal policy to protect children’s privacy and to give them a voice in how they’re represented. 

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Each state is left to make its own decisions, and young people lack concrete rights and protections across the board. They are the experts — and they must be included in the decisions that affect them most.

Q: What research or lessons from the National Think Tank could foster significant progress?

Brown: What really stood out was how little protection there is for children in the adoption process. There is no federal law and very limited state laws that even acknowledge young people’s right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment. 

“Rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.”

That gap highlights how far we have to go and where we should start. 

It also reminds us that rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.

Q: What can state legislatures do in the next 12 months to affect change?

Brown: The most immediate and achievable step is to support legislation that gives youth the right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment, protecting their privacy, dignity and safety. 

Researchers from Chapin Hall will prepare a report on the key findings from the National Think Tank, which will help state and federal leaders better understand the importance of youth rights in adoption.

Q: How can Americans best help children who are in foster care or aging out of the system?

Brown: One theme we heard over and over at the National Think Tank was the power of community. Kids in foster care and those who have aged out of the system need to know they have support and that people care.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Selfless Love Foundation is able to offer this National Think Tank at no cost, including scholarships to cover youth’s travel and accommodations. 

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The best way people can help is by allowing more young people to attend events like this, where their voices are heard, their experiences are valued — and they are part of transforming the system. 

With no national standard in place, we leave a vulnerable group of children without clear protections. 

We already recognize a child’s right to choose adoption. 

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Extending that principle to how they are portrayed is a matter of policy alignment and fairness. To help, and to learn more, anyone can visit selflesslovefoundation.org.

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With new agreements from President Donald Trump promising lower prices on popular weight-loss drugs, the use of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could soon surge even higher — a trend already spreading unevenly across the U.S., with some states seeing greater uptick than others.

Based on insurance claims data from Purple Lab, a Pennsylvania health analytics company, a 2024 report published by GLP-1 Newsroom broke down the estimated number of weight-loss and diabetes drug prescriptions per state.

The prescription records came from both commercial and government insurers, and they don’t include people who paid cash, used telehealth providers, used compounded versions or were uninsured — which means the actual numbers are likely higher.

WHY MICRODOSING OZEMPIC COULD BECOME AS COMMON AS TAKING A MULTIVITAMIN

The report identified the following states where more than 15% of the state’s population received GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss or diabetes control. 

Take a look at the list below.

• West Virginia – 24%
• Kentucky – 22%
• Louisiana – 20%
• Oklahoma – 20%
• Alabama – 19%
• Mississippi – 19%
• North Dakota – 18%
• Alaska – 17%
• Arkansas – 17%
• Pennsylvania – 17%
• Iowa – 16.5%
• Michigan – 16%
• Ohio – 14.5%
• Georgia – 15%
• Kansas – 15%
• Tennessee – 15%
• Texas – 15%

WEIGHT-LOSS DOCTOR SHARES HOW GLP-1S COULD REWIRE BODY AGAINST DISEASE

The highest GLP-1 usage rates were concentrated in the South, Midwest and Appalachia, likely due to their higher obesity and diabetes rates.

The report also identified these lowest-usage states, mostly in coastal and Western regions. Hawaii had the lowest overall prescriptions.

See the list below.

• Florida – 10%
• Maryland – 10%
• Wisconsin – 10%
• Washington – 9%
• California – 9.5%
• Nevada – 8%
• Oregon – 8%
• Arizona – 8%
• Colorado – 8%
• Utah – 8%
• Rhode Island – 7.5%
• Hawaii – 5%

COULD GLP-1 WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATIONS LIKE OZEMPIC BECOME THE ‘EVERYTHING DRUG’?

Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert who often prescribes GLP-1 medications to his patients, takes a daily microdose each day to promote heart health.

“These agents are primarily prescribed for type 2 diabetes, but the tides are turning — and soon, in my humble opinion, they will be used more to treat obesity (or categorically ‘overweight’ individuals), absent diabetes, although there is typically a high degree of crossover between the two conditions,” Osborn told Fox News Digital.

The doctor also predicts that GLP-1s will soon be used to treat or prevent vascular disease, temper drinking, address gambling addiction, slow cognitive decline and likely as a complement to chemotherapy cancer treatments.

“Prescribing practices and indications are expanding rapidly, and therefore, we must be careful about our conclusions,” Osborn said. “That said, my guess is that these medications are being prescribed more so in states such as Kentucky, West Virginia and other Midwestern states where obesity and diabetes are rampant.”

Obesity rates by state

The Trust for America’s Health recently released its State of Obesity report, which is based on 2024 data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

The report lists the following 10 U.S. states as having the highest adult obesity rates, all of which are located in the South or Midwest. 

In nine of the 10 states, at least 15% of the population have GLP-1 prescriptions, according to insurance claims data.

• West Virginia – 41.4%
• Mississippi – 40.4%
• Louisiana 39.2%
• Alabama – 38.7%
• Arkansas – 38.4 %
• Oklahoma – 37.9 %
• Kentucky – 37.7 %
• Tennessee – 37.2 %
• Indiana – 36.9 %
• Texas – 36.8 %

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Overall, 19 states had adult obesity rates of at least 35%, compared with 23 states the previous year.

This was also the first time that no state had an adult obesity rate below 25%, according to the report.

Below are the states with the lowest rates of obesity, according to the report.

• District of Columbia – 25.5%
• Colorado – 25%
• Hawaii – 27%
• Massachusetts – 27%
• California – 27.6%
• Florida – 28%
• New Jersey – 28.2%
• Washington – 28.8%
• Vermont – 29%
• New York – 29.1%

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“Structural barriers to healthy eating and physical activity need continued policy attention and investment,” said J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, in a statement.

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“It is vital that government and other sectors invest in – not cut – proven programs that support good nutrition and physical activity and ensure they reach all communities.”

Fox News Digital reached out to GLP-1 manufacturers requesting comment.