A new year is here and with that it is time to roll out the Adoptee Rights Bills to Support in 2015. Just like the 2014 and 2013 lists, this will be a living list where things like bill numbers do get updated. However, for the most recent activity on any one state’s pending legislation and needed support, please refer to the websites and Facebook pages. If you know of additional states where legislation is pending this year, please do let me know.
The intent behind “protecting” a person from the ugly or not so ugly truth about one’s self might be begun as a kindness, but it is still a lie. So even if you love the person you wish to protect, you are betraying their trust and making a decisions for them based on your feelings, not theirs. You are not trusting them enough with knowledge that is theirs, not yours, to withhold. Truth is truth and no amount of wishing can change that.
If there was a theme of this year’s ARD, I think this might be it; Coming together, working together, making things possible, for while some helped to get me on that plane, others helped to keep me sane and make it work. It is YOU who make it all worthwhile! But that’s is what it is about at the Adoptee Rights Demonstration. We come to gather to make a our much needed voices for Adoptee Rights be heard and garnish the strength for another year ahead with the company of others who understand.
Who: NY’s Unsealed Initiative: www.unsealedinitiative.org
When: Sunday September 29th, 2013 at 12:30pm
Where: NY State Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein’s Brooklyn, NY district office at 3520 Nostrand Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11229
Why: She is THE biggest opponent to NY Bill of Adoptee Rights Legislation
In 2012 the Adoptee Rights Coalition held the 5th annual Adoptee Rights Demonstration in Chicago, IL at the National State Legislators Convention. This is the 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Adoption Odds and Ends: Adoption Music, Arts, Films and Events There are ways to finish up National Adoption Awareness Month by supporting and sharing information and links to really great projects the support adoption truth. Here’s some great projects created by adoptees and the people that support them!
Your Rights, Your Protest!
WHO: Adoptee Rights Coalition
Dates: 08/11/2012 – 08/13/2012
WHERE: Atlanta, Georgia
EMAIL: ARC@AdopteeRightsCoalition.com
BONUS; I’ll be there with my pom poms!
Now, I don’t subscribe to any version of “it’s meant to be” in AdoptionLand. I was not destined to be a birthmother and lose my child unnecessary just to make someone else’s dreams come true, but there are silver linings to this life I have now. If I have to be a birthmother, I am a pretty damn happy one. Since I cannot change my past, all the hurt and sadness an anger have a healthy direction to go in.
Once again, the feelings of community, accomplishment and even the snail’s pace of progress in Adoptee Rights filled my heart and soul with renewed vigor and purpose. Plus, again, one of the only good aspect of this adoption journey has been the wonderful people I have been blessed to know, work with, and call my friends.
We knew there were bad storms about as Cassi reported driving through them in Iowa. I have seen some huge thunderstorms in my life, but nothing like this. This was the same storm cell that made them evacuate Lalapalooza in Chicago yesterday. I knew it was bad. I knew we were in tornado country. I watch storm chasers. I know what hail and cloud hooks and circular wind patterns mean.