Adoption Authors

Creating Adoption Change Along Unlikely Paths

I just willingly did the “Adoption Perspectives” show on “Powerful” Christian talk radio with two adoptive mothers. Sounds like I spent a lot of time deflecting stereotypes and horrible comments, You would think I spent an hour defending my right to be considered a mother? Not even once it was basically a love fest. As in, there was this crazy mutual agreement. I didn’t censor my words once. I didn’t hold back any opinion. And there was not one disagreement at all. Not. One. How in God’s name did this happen?


How the Church Views of Adoption and the Bible are all Wrong

I have just read so many Bible verses about Orphans that my head is ready to spin. And almost ALL of them are not just about the CHILDREN, but include the lines “the Widows and Orphans” or instead speak of “the fatherless” meaning , I would assume, single mothers. So how come devote Bible quoting folks can so easily IGNORE the word of God that clearly says CARE FOR THE WIDOW? How come only the CHILD’s soul is worth saving? How come we can’t save the mother’s soul too?
I would think that “Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Child” falls in there. Right? So if the Bible says to not desire to TAKE the widows child, and to help her, perhaps save her soul too? Especially, one would think, when the mother/widow has “chosen life” and should be rewarded somehow for not having the evil abortion? Like isn’t she half way there already?


The Adoption Community NEEDS the Churches

I think that many folks in adoption land were injured by the church and have also walked away from the conventions of organized religion. After all, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Services, Salvation Army, the LDS church, etc. all had a strong hand in the relinquishment experience for many mothers of the Baby Scoop Era. And, many adoption agencies today still have strong religious affiliations. God is often used to justify adoptions and let’s face it, that makes many of us angry again all over. So we have understandable separated ourselves from it. Big mistake.

What I have begun to understand by reading The Child Catchers is that we have hurt ourselves with this stance. I’m just as guilty as any. I, living in nice liberal blue state of New York purposely mock and laugh at things like “creationism” or “Christian Rock” and are very critical of the values that morph into policy such as abstinence only policy and the whole Right to Life movement. I know I have, and I think many of us do, separate ourselves as an “us versus them”, seeing all people with Christian values as purposefully ignorant and not worth paying attention to. This attitude is wrong.


The Child Catchers- Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption

It was with great anticipation that I waited for The Child Catchers. Sadly, while we can all blog, and self publish, and get memoirs going, the “non biased” pen of the non adoption affected if often needed to bring the anecdotal facts home for the general public. It’s like they can’t believe “us”, probably because they do not want to, and dismiss it as “your experience” believing us “too close” to see the full picture. Making Kathryn’s eyes, her words, like balm on the ever oozing wound.
The Child Catchers- Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption is a must read, must have on any adoption bookshelf.


Radical Leadership for Radical Change

I’ve decided to once again stick my neck out. Because giraffes have such long necks, they always see the “bigger picture” – the bigger picture is that someday no child will have to be separated from their family of origin and no mother feel forced to give up her a child. I’m hoping that those of you who also see the bigger picture will want to become giraffes and join me. If so, think of ways that you can stick out your neck – and help to change an very archaic system.


Share Your Adoption Story

Write a Guest Post

I have told much of my story already, but I know so many of you have a voice and a story to tell too. Maybe you don’t have a blog or don’t feel that you want that exposure, but still have something to say?

Your Voice Matters!

Please, feel free to send me your stories and I will post them here. I can give you credit or keep you unknown; whatever works for you… whatever I can to help you tell your story and share your adoption truth.




Best of Open Adoption Blogs 2012

Get yourself a cup of tea, or coffee, or wine and sit down for a good long read. The Open Adoption Network has the Best of Open Adoption Blogs 2012 version up and ready! Get Reading NOW! You’ll find some old established voices and some new ones, too. Remember to go and give some comment love. TRIGGER WARNING: There are Adoptive Parents Blogs int here, so be prepared. Though I will say that the…



The Fifth and Final Name by Rhonda Noonan

When the end is reached, you will not doubt the validity of her claims, for she has inherited the DNA strain that was so obvious in her famous grandfather Sir Winston Churchill, yes THAT Churchill, the British Prime Minister; she never, never, never, gave up. While Rhonda wins out in the end, The Fifth and Final Name illustrates the injustice in the closed record system while providing a strong primer of adoption truth and adoptee understanding that the non adoption affected can understand.


Re-Marketing Adoption

So the supply comes from the birthmother producers, the demand comes from the potential adoption parents and then profit and loss comes to the adoption agency who must keep their expenses lower than their fees so they can stay in business. It doesn’t matter WHY you think adoption does or does not need to be here, this is the way it WORKS.


The Loss of Betty Jean Lifton

One cannot begin to understand the truths about adoption and to gain insight into the life of those adopted without hearing about the writings of BJ Lifton. How many times have I heard an adoptee credit her books as a pivotal point in feeling understood or coming to terms regarding their own life experience. As a birthmother, BJ Lifton represented more than an adoptee voice, she was for many THE…


BlogHer ’10 Recap: What I Learned

About Myself, About Judgment, About Adoption, About the World. As I said a lot this past weekend at BlogHer ’10 in New York City, I wore a lot of hats. Part of me went to BlogHer as the Dragon Search Social Media Queen and I have a “Marketer’s View of BlogHer” over at the work blog, but part of me went to BlogHer as “Claudia the Adoption Blogger from Grown…