2011 Adoptee Rights Demonstration Video
In 2011 the Adoptee Rights Coalition held the 4th annual Adoptee Rights Demonstration in San Antonio, Texas at the National State Legislators Convention. This is the video.
Adoptee Rights
2010 Adoptee Rights Demonstration Video
In 2010, the Adoptee Rights Coalition held the 3rd annual Adoptee Rights Demonstration in Louisville KY and the National State Legislators Convention. This is the video.
2009 Adoptee Rights Demonstration Video
In 2009, the Adoptee Rights Coalition held the 2nd annual Adoptee Rights Demonstration in Philadelphia PA and the National State Legislators Convention. This is what it was like.
ACCESS MASSACHUSETTS Meeting for Adoptee Rights
What: first meeting of ACCESS MASSACUSETTS, a grass roots effort dedicated to passing legislation restoring the human right for all adult adopted people born in Massachusetts, access to their original birth certificates (OBC).
Where: Cambridge Family and Children’s Services office at 60 Gore Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
When: August 15th, from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Who: ACCESS MASSACHUSETTS and YOU!
Surrender and Subordination: Birth Mothers and Adoption Law
This article analyzes the provisions in a collection of birth mother surrender documents assembled by the author—seventy-five mid-twentieth century documents executed in twenty-six different states. In order to establish the significance of the surrender document provisions with respect to these claims, the article first relates depictions by birth mothers of a journey from silence to legislative advocacy. The article then examines the conflicting claims about birth mothers that pervade legislative contests over adult adoptee access to original birth certificates. Finally, the article analyzes the provisions of the surrender documents. The analysis of the provisions definitively supports birth mother advocates’ reports that women were neither offered a choice of nor guaranteed lifelong anonymity. Their opponents’ contentions to the contrary, whether motivated by concern for birth mothers or other interests, reinscribe an earlier culture of shame and secrecy, subordinating women’s own wishes and silencing their newly raised voices.
Where I Must Be Humbled and Poor
The Adoptee Rights plan has been for the last year that my whole family would go to the 6th annual Adoptee Rights Coalition’s national demonstration in Atlanta this year. I have tried to remain hopeful. I have put my faith in the universe that something would work out, but we are looking at a little more than month away and I finally had to say to Rye last week.. Atlanta isn’t looking like reality.
Sandy Musser is Back in Action and Asking for Your Help
Sandy has returned to the Good Fight and is taking her place calling for action! Please join her on the Facebook on the ALARM Network group page challenging the sealed records controversy in the United States. Under her guidance the Alarm network is proposing a Federal Mandate based upon the 14th Amendment and here’s what YOU can do to help!
Why Should We Care About the Fight to Open Adoption Records
Adoptee Rights & Access to their Original Birth Certificates
In the US, 48 states continue the practice of sealing adopted children’s original birth certificates (the OBC) upon finalization of the adoption. In all but 4 of those 42 states, adult adoptees do not have unrestricted access to their OBC like all other people do at the age of 18.
Right now, only Alaska, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Alabama allow unrestricted equal access to all adoptees over the age of 18. In Rhode Island, they have restored access to all adoptees over the age of 25. Washington State, Illinois, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, Connecticut, Montana and Ohio now have had successful legislation introduced that does allow many adoptees to access their OBC’s, BUT it is not EQUAL access as they still have birth parent vetos’ in the laws ( in Ohio it;s a one yer window in time where the birth parents can have their names removed, but medical information still goes through) and that gives one party the ability to control another party. New Jersey, Colorado and Connecticut have also recently changed their laws. Unless the adoptee’s birthparents had the knowledge that they could apply for the OBC before the adoption records were sealed, then that adoptee might never see the record of their birth and even then, the ADOPTEE as an ADULT Citizen of the US is NOT treated the same as other US citizens in regard to their legal documentation.
This is one of the many areas of adoption legislation where the states have power over making the laws. Alaska and Kansas never sealed theirs at all, but the other 48 did, some as early as the 1930’s and some not until the 70’s. Some sealed records laws, such as NY, can trace their roots back to the corrupt practices of Georgia Tann and other unscrupulous lobby groups who must have been hiding something.
About Adoptee Rights: An Open Letter to the News Media
These stories are not isolated. Various members of the adoption community have created vast clearing houses of these images on the many social media sites form Facebook, to Pinterest, to Tumbler where they are tweeted, shared, and hopefully, maybe, find their way to the one person who could provide clues about their origins. We tirelessly share and promote our fellow Adoptionland members and pray that they find those whom they seek. There are over a hundred images like this with the numbers growing daily.
Missouri Adoption Legislation HB 252: Letters Needed Stat
I was alerted the other day that Missouri has new adoption legislation in the House of Representatives. While we like to see adoption laws updated, there are a few issues with HB 252. While the contact preferences for OBC access are often included in any Adoptee Rights legislation in order to make the legislators feel warm and cozy, allowing one party to deny another their legal documentation is not treating ALL adoptees equally.There is also a portion of the bill having to do with Open Adoption Agreements. In essence, the issue is not that they are saying that there can be enforceable open adoption agreements, it is in the enforcement aspect that the language gets a bit too vague.
Collecting the Adoptees and Families Searching Images on Facebook
This is one of those times when I am asking for your help on a project. It was barely two weeks ago when Facebook started exploding with the Adoptee Searching Picture memes. Though I know we all tried to keep up and share like crazy cakes, it’s proving to be a difficult task! I was trying to share all the images of Adoptees begging for help finding their families, but I quickly had the longest blog post on the east coast. And then, I remembered Listly!
Adoptee Rights Bills to Support in 2013
Follow your state group on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for their mailing lists and when they ask you to do something, just do it! Send your letter, make a comment saying you did, and share the post to your own networks, The only way we will ever restore the civil rights of our friends and children is if we work on their doggedly and with purpose together.
Why Are Adoptees Reduced to Begging for Help?
Imagine a world where we let adult make decisions that affect their lives. We let them fill out their medical forms with more than an unknown. We let them know the branches of their family tree. We let them know whose nose it is perched upon their face.
A Slight Move Forward by New York State for Adoptees
I was thrilled to hear that Mr. Carucci has left his post as the Director of NYS Vital Records and we have a new Director, Mr. Guy Warner in his place. I’m not sure if he gets any of the credit, but today the news was released that New York State has expanded their Registry to include those Born in New York and adopted in other states and those Born in other states and adopted in New York!
Voter ID’s & Voter Fraud in the State of Adoption
Voter IDs laws have been talked about in the news for some time now. Supporters say the laws are needed to combat voter fraud, while others see Voter ID laws as a move used to disenfranchise voters. Can adopted adults be included in that?