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David Mark Smolin (b. New York City ) is a professor of law at Cumberland School Of Law in Birmingham , Alabama . He is also the director for The Center For Biotechnology, Law And Ethics and faculty advisor for Cumberland's Law, Science and Technology Society. Smolin is the author of over 35 articles, primarily published as Law Review articles, though some of his works have appeared in journals such as '' First Things ''. His brother is theoretical Physicist Lee Smolin . Smolin graduated first in his class and . He has testified before legislative committees in the U.S. Congress , as well as five states on Constitutional issues. Smolin is also an advocate for '', published by the Wayne Law Review , won Cumberland's inaugural Lightfoot, Franklin & White Faculty Scolarship Award for the most significant scholarly work published during the preceding year. http://cumberland.samford.edu/cumberlandblank.asp?ID=931 Cumberland dean's news His own Adoption story was featured on NPRS's Morning Addition titled ''Adoption Stories Gone Bad''. ''Adoption Stories Gone Bad'' Smolin joined the Cumberland faculty in 1987 after clerking for Senior Judge George Edwards of the U.S. Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit from 1986-1987. Prior to that Smolin worked in a psychiatric hospital. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Interdenominational Beeson Divinity School . Beeson Divinity School faculty {Link without Title} . BIOTECHNOLOGY, LAW AND ETHICS Smolin heads , which is typically co-sponsored by the Cumberland Law Review . The Center has attracted numerous experst including ethicist Gregory Pence , atmospheric scientist John Christy , and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis . Each year the Cumberland Law Review typically publishes an issue featuring articles by visiting speakers. HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION Human rights Smolin is a Human Rights advocate but also approaches the international movement with concerns which can be summed up in the conclusion to his paper ''Will International Human Rights Be Used as a Tool of Cultural Genocide? The Interaction of Human Rights Norms , Religion , Culture , and Gender '' published by the Journal of Law and Religion. Smolin's basic view regarding the scope of the international movement is that not all worthy human causes deserve to be labeled or acted upon as a right. He believes that doing so could erode or destroy the most basic human rights if the international movement gained enough power to enact all of its goals. His quotation is as follows: The reform of human rights law, if it were to be attempted, would involve severely reducing the scope of its aspirations. For example, it would certainly not be a small thing if international human rights law could be effective against genocide; international human rights law, it would seem, has dissipated its moral force and its efforts by offering itself to be used by virtually every cause that can be placed in the idiom of ‘rights-talk.’ Not every worthy cause or human good can or should be transformed into an international ‘right.’ Religion has had to learn, sometimes only through painful and destructive experience, that not all of its most cherished goods can or should be enforced by political means. The relatively young human rights movement needs to be taught the same lesson, hopefully before it seriously mars its reputation by destroying the very rights it was designed to protect. Until and unless a severe winnowing of the goals and norms of international human rights law occurs, religious believers, and people of good will who believe in intermediary institutions, religious freedom, and family rights, should be warned. For the great contemporary protector of rights, the international human rights movement, would, if given real power, constitute one of the gravest threats to those rights yet conceived by humanity.''Will International Human Rights Be Used as a Tool of Cultural Genocide? The Interaction of Human Rights Norms, Religion, Culture, and Gender'', (Journal of Law and Religion) International adoption, child trafficking and child laundering Much of Smolin's recent academic work regards International Adoption , Child Trafficking and Child Laundering . Two articles gaining attention are available for download at bepress legal repository. The first article won Cumberland Law School 's first annual Lightfoot award for most significant scholarly paper published during the preceding year and is consistently listed in the 10 Most Popular Articles in the bepress Legal Series: Bepress 10 most popular {Link without Title}
Cumberland School of Law Symposium on International Adoption On April 15th, 2005 Smolin, with the cooperation of Cumberland School Of Law , hosted a Symposium on International Adoption . The purpose was to "take advantage of the gathered expertise to explore the question of how international adoption can be reformed to ensure respect for the rights and dignity of birth families, children and adoptive families adoption triad ." Belltower [http://www.samford.edu/pubs/belltower/April2005/law.html]. Richard Cross, a senior special agent for Immigration And Customs Enforcement assigned to the ICE Human Trafficking Unit in Seattle, Washington, spoke at the event. His entire lecture and audio file from the lecture are available for download on Cumberland's website. Full lecture of special agent Richard Cross [http://cumberland.samford.edu/cumberland_programs.asp?ID=630 Richard Cross's full video and audio lecture available here Richard Cross, the lead federal investigator for the prosecution of Lauryn Galindo for visa fraud and money laundering involved in Cambodian adoptions, estimated that most of the 800 adoptions Galindo facilitated were fraudulent--either based on fraudulent paperwork, coerced/induced/recruited relinquishments, babies bought, identities of the children switched, etc. Desiree Smolin and David Kruchkow, ''Why Bad Stories Must Be Told'', The Adoption Agency Checklist, {Link without Title} Adopting Internationally website Adopting Internationally Website . Recently Smolin, along with his wife, launched www.adoptinginternationally.com, a website meant to provide information regarding "the complex issues associated with international adoption." The site includes personal stories and academic analysis. Desiree Smolin and David Kruchkow, ''Why the Bad Stories Must be Told'', The Adoption Agency Checklist, {Link without Title} The site is also based, in part, on the Smolin's personal experience in the field of international adoption, and the Smolins are unabashedly dedicated to reforming intercountry adoption "so that it may consistently and reliably assist all members of the adoption triad (birth families, adoptees, and adoptive families)." EDUCATION
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