November 2015

A Father's Right, Mirah Riben on Huffington Post, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers, The Adoption Industry November 29, 2015

Utah, Still the Baby-Stealing State and the On-Going War on Fathers

By Mirah Riben Robert Manzanares has been fighting for his constitutional right to nurture his daughter for an astounding eight years. Colby Nielsen’s case is currently unfolding. These are just two of the many fathers fighting Utah for virtually stealing their children and having them adopted without their fathers’ consent. Colby Nielsen and Kaylee Utah, LDS and Adoption Mormons are opposed to abortion and also to children being raised by…

Community, Mirah Riben on Huffington Post, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers November 13, 2015

End the Witch Hunt: In Defense of Dr. Robert Oscar Lopez

By Mirah Riben     “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Evelyn Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire   Dr. Robert Oscar Lopez is facing loss of tenure and his teaching position at the State University of California because of trumped up charges based on lies and reverse discrimination. Why do I care and why am I supporting…

Costs of Adoption, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers, Surviving Adopted November 13, 2015

Triggers: When Adoption Creeps Up On You

By Laura Marie Scoggins Life has been tough lately. I hadn’t been to church in a while due to some of the difficult things I have been going through (my adopted mom’s cancer and rapidly declining health, a frustrating year of my own health issues and trying to get to the root cause of the problem, wounds from relationships). Sometimes you just need to back away from life for a…

Adoptee Rights, Adoption Truth, Mirah Riben on Huffington Post, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers November 12, 2015

Parental Equality, NOT “Adoption Equality”

By Mirah Riben Children need and deserve for both parents raising them to have full parental rights. Children need this regardless of their parents’ sexual orientation. Thus, same sex couples are fighting for what they are calling “adoption equality.” Every child, however, also deserves an unaltered true record of his birth, regardless of who has legal parental rights.Traditional adoption is not the best route to achieve these goals and the…

Adoption Truth, Mirah Riben on Huffington Post, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers November 10, 2015

The Dark Side of Adoption

By Mirah Riben In the midst of all the happily-ever-after media coverage of adoption, now that it’s November, and National Adoption Month (NAM), it’s incumbent upon us to look at adoption realistically and even critically. The fact is that most adoptions are not saintly acts of altruism but simply the fulfillment of the adopters’ hopes and dreams. That means that adoption, adoptive parents, and adoptive families are as imperfect as…

Adoptee Rights, Mirah Riben on Huffington Post, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers November 9, 2015

Should Adult Adoptees Have Access to Their Birth Records?

By Mirah Riben Costco Connections, a publication of the discount variety store chain, provided a venue for pro and con essays on the right of adopted adults, which many states deny, to access their own true birth certificates.     The affirmative argument is presented by April Dinwoodie, Chief Executive, the prestigious Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI), an organization with no ulterior motive or financial backing that would impact their conclusions….

Costs of Adoption, More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers, Surviving Adopted November 8, 2015

To Speak Or Not To Speak: The Adoptee Dilemma

By Laura Marie Scoggins November is National Adoption Month (NAM).  During this month we are supposed to “celebrate” adoption. The problem with this is that the voices of adoptees are usually absent from the conversation.  Adoptees have historically been left out of the adoption discussion. In 2014 the hashtag #flipthescipt was created by a fellow adoptee as a way for adoptee voices to be heard. For National Adoption Month 2015…

More Adoption Blogs from Adoption Bloggers November 4, 2015

The Sun and the Ghost

By AstridBeeMom The following is a chapter from the book I am writing, “Whispers of Grace.” The months following the relinquishment of IKL I had the same nightmare frequently. I still have this nightmare once in a great while. Most of the nightmares I have now are different but revolve around the same theme, saving my baby. This particular dream incorporates childhood trauma from abuse endured at the hands of…