Report urges states to let adult adoptees see their birth records BY DAVID CRARY The Associated Press
NEW YORK — It’s among the most divisive questions in the realm of adoption: Should adult adoptees have access to their birth records, and thus be able to learn the identity of their birth parents? In a comprehensive report being released today, a leading adoption institute says the answer is “Yes” and urges the rest of America to follow the path of the eight states that allow such access to all adults who were adopted. “States’ experiences in providing this information make clear that there are minimal, if any, negative repercussions,” said the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. “Outcomes appear to have been overwhelmingly positive for adult adopted persons and birthparents alike.” Opponents of open access argue that unsealing birth records violates the privacy that birthmothers expected when they opted to give up their babies. They raise the specter of birthparents forced into unwanted relationships with grown children who have tracked them down. But the Donaldson Institute says most birthparents, rather than being fearful and ashamed, welcome contact with the children they bore. Its report says the states with open records have found that most birthparents and adoptees handle any contact with maturity and respect. Kansas and Alaska never barred adoptees from seeing their birth certificates. Since 1996, six other states — Alabama, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Tennessee — have decided to allow access to all adult adoptees. However, the progression has been slow, and open-records legislation has been rebuffed in many states by a determined and diverse opposition. Opponents in Connecticut, where bills have failed in each of the past two years, included the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. It depicted itself as a voice for birthmothers who opposed the measure but were reluctant to speak out publicly. In New Jersey, where a longrunning campaign to pass an openrecords bill was derailed again this year, the opposition includes New Jersey Right to Life and the New Jersey Catholic Conference. They argue that eliminating the prospect of confidentiality might prompt a pregnant single woman to choose abortion rather than adoption. Marlene Lao-Collins of the Catholic Conference said she knew of no data supporting the concerns about abortions, “but even if it just happened once, that would be one too many.” Nationwide, one of the major foes of open records is the National Council for Adoption, which represents many religiously affi liated adoption agencies. Its president, Thomas Atwood, says any reconnection between an adopted adult and a birthparent should be by mutual consent — which is the policy in most states. “I empathize with anybody who feels the need to know their biological parents’ identity,” Atwood said. “But I don’t think the law should enable them to force themselves on someone who has personal reasons for wanting confidentiality.” The Donaldson report says evidence from the states with open records rebuts every argument against the concept. Notably, it says there is no proof that abortions rise, that adoptions decline, or that birthparents are harassed following a switch to open records. “There has been no evidence that the lives of birthmothers have been damaged as a result,” the report says. “In the states that have amended their laws … few birthmothers have expressed the desire to keep records sealed or the wish not to be contacted.” The most recent state to opt for open records is Maine; a law signed in June will allow adult adoptees to access their birth certificates starting in 2009. One of the bill’s main sponsors was state Sen. Paula Benoit, an adoptee who personally lobbied all her colleagues. While working on the bill, she uncovered her own biological background and learned, to her amazement, that two Democratic lawmakers she was working with were her nephews. “There are so many adoptees who want to know who they are,” she said. “Can you imagine being denied your identity?” Among the many birthmothers grateful to have been found by children they relinquished is Eileen McQuade of Delray Beach, Fla., who is president of the American Adoption Congress and a fervent advocate of open records. “Secrecy was the way it was done at the time — it was not a choice or a preference on the part of the mothers,” McQuade said of the 1960s, when she placed a daughter for adoption. “We treat adoptees as if they’re forever children — it’s absurd.” The Donaldson report depicts adopted people as the only class of Americans not permitted to routinely obtain their birth certificates. Giving them full access “is a matter of legal equality, ethical practice and, on a human level, basic fairness,” the report said. “It is an essential step toward placing adoptive families, families of origin, everyone connected to them and, indeed, adoption itself on a level playing field within society, without the stigma, shame and inequitable treatment they have experienced in the past.” “The mythology around adoption is based on the notion that you should be protecting someone from something,” said the institute’s executive director, Adam Pertman. “But that’s not the reality,” he said. “Adoptees are not behaving poorly, they’re behaving very respectfully, and birthparents do not appear to be a frightened class that wants to hide.”
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Brad Littlefield
November 12, 2007, 2:34pm
Guest User
I agree that adoptees should have access to records that identify their birth parents provided that the information not be used in litigation. I question, however, if the loss of anonymity of the birth parents will lead to an increased number of abortions.
I have relatives that are adopted and they would only like the medical information. And I agree with them. I also know a few people that did find out who their natural parents were and it was somewhat an unpleasant event. And I agree with Brad that if this law is passed, the abortion rate would only rise. The respect of anonymity should be respected and upheld.
Society has a strong interest in encouraging adoption, and adoptees have a strong interest in knowing their roots. These were once thought to be mutally exclusive goals, but a new, comprehensive study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute suggests otherwise. The study shows that unsealing birth records for adult adoptees, as eight states have been doing since 1996, has none of the negative consequences predicted by opponents. If the secrecy that has surrounded adoption was ever justified, times have changed to the point where it is no longer necessary. When states started sealing the original birth certificates in the 1930s and ’40s, it was all about the supposed stigma of an out-of-wedlock birth and adoption — for the child, the biological mother and even the adoptive family. Eventually what started out as confidentiality to prevent outsiders from knowing of the adoption turned into secrecy, where even parties to the arrangement were kept in the dark. It can be argued that this secrecy is in the best interest of the child, as it protects the stability of the adoptive family. But adult adoptees shouldn’t be denied basic information about themselves, including potentially important medical information, forever. That’s especially true when giving them access to this information does no real harm, and the study shows this is the case. In the states with open records, there was no evidence that the number of abortions rose or adoptions fell after birth mothers lost anonymity. Adoptees did not harass their birth parents. In fact, the study found that the great majority of birth parents support the release of information about themselves to the children, and desire contact with or information about them. As Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, put it, “The mythology around adoption is based on the notion that you should be protectiong someone from something. “But that’s not the reality,” he said. Adoptees are not behaving poorly, they’re behaving very respectfully, and birthparents do not appear to be a frightened class that wants to hide.” It’s time all states opened these records.
Maybe at the time tihe child is put up for adoption, there should be a copy of the mother's medical records that are put into the system when the baby is given up for adoption. If it is requested, that can be the documentation without the mother's name on it, but at least a synopsis should be given. Even if it's the information that listed on one of the forms that you need to fill out the first time you go to a new doctor's office.
Unfortunatly BK there are medical issues that don't appear for years. Most people are young and healthy when they have children. It is in their later years that health problems arise.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Adoptees’ interest in finding birth parents the overriding concern
The seven-word heading atop the Nov 13 editorial grabbed my attention as none has in years [“Give adult adoptees access to birth records”}. It is time the state opened these records, and the sooner, the better. Try to imagine, if you can, a life spent never to gaze into the face of your own mother. Forget trying to find your birth father; I know I did. Think about what it is like to go through life never seeing another face that remotely resembles your own And finally, leaving the most important for last, imagine denial of access to bond with the one who gave you life. That being said, I was one of the lucky ones, adopted into a middle-class, educated, two-parent family who gave me all the love and material things any child could have asked for. I am now, and remain, profoundly grateful for the luck of that draw Although both my adoptive parents are dead now, I continue to wish — as I have since I was first made aware of my adoptive situation in early childhood — to find my birth mother. Why indeed am I denied access to this information? Of course, had I been a wealthy woman, I would have been able to hire a private investigator at great expense to attempt to find my birth mother. Alas, I am not now, nor have I ever been, wealthy enough to finance such an exploration. Aside from the basic longing to know my birth mother, there is a raft of tangential issues that enter into play here with myself and many of the adult adoptees I have come to know over the years. Rejection issues, self-worth issues, an inability to bond normally — each of these things can plague for life the adoptee denied rightful birth information. I have just moved back to the United States from several years living in Scotland, where no such laws exist. The absence of such law provides no evidence of damage to the birth mother who wishes to remain anonymous. For as Adam Perlman, director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute who was quoted in the editorial, says, “birthparents do not appear to be a frightened class that wants to hide.” It’s probably too late for me at 54 to fi nd my mother. But in the name of all we hold holy, let’s allow adoptees access to their own most vital statistics before any more people suffer the psychological damage. MEGAN SEACORD Schenectady
County starts adoption campaign Gift of Love effort aims to boost ranks of foster and adoptive parents
By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, November 21, 2007
SCHENECTADY -- Schenectady County has started a public awareness campaign that aims to increase the number of certified foster and adoptive parents in the county. Posters, fliers and brochures will be placed around the community to promote the Gift of Love campaign.
In Schenectady County, about 55 children are eligible for adoption; just under half of them are not in pre-adoptive foster homes. There are 295 children in foster care, with 18 children adopted so far this year.
The Schenectady County Legislature recently adopted a resolution recognizing November as National Adoption Month and urging residents to become foster and adoptive parents. Adoptive and foster parents were present when the County Legislature met to pass the resolution.
"This is an important way to help children and enrich your own life," said legislator Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady. Hughes is a parent of two adopted children. "People always say you have done a wonderful thing, but it is really the children that do wonders for you."
The county's Department of Social Services is also participating in the Capital Region Heart Gallery, a photo exhibit of children who are in need of permanent homes. The exhibit is on display through Nov. 30 at the Rensselaer Office of Children and Family Services, 52 Washington St., Rensselaer.
Anyone interested in learning more about foster parenting or becoming an adoptive parent can call the Schenectady County Department of Social Services at 388-4736.
Dont worry when there is a National ID/Health card and the info for when someone puts their kid up for adoption and when the new parents adopt.....info all over and so protected by HIPPA(so they tell us)........always pulling at the heart strings they are.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Steve Flaig has worked as a delivery driver at Lowe's in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the last four years. Every day, when he enters the store, he walks past the cashiers' stand, saying hello to his co-workers there. One of the women there, Chris Tallady, always greeted him with a friendly smile – but two months ago, he realized they had a lot more in common than a uniform.
As it turned out, Tallady was Flaig's mother.
Flaig was adopted as a baby. Though he loves his adoptive family, he's always wondered about the people who gave birth to him. So, when he was 18, he went to the adoption agency to see what he could learn about his real parents. Luckily, he discovered that his birth mother had granted permission for the agency to release her name in case he ever wanted to get in touch.
Still, Flaig had no luck finding his birth mother. He searched for her name on the Internet, but came up blank. But just after his 22nd birthday, he pulled out the paperwork from the adoption agency, and realized that he'd spelled her last name incorrectly in his previous searches. This time, when he plugged her name into a search engine, an address came up: His mother lived right near the Lowe's where he worked.
When he mentioned the coincidence to his boss, he discovered an even bigger one: His mother worked there, too.
For two months, he kept his knowledge a secret, not sure how Tallady would take the news. But when he spoke to the adoption agency again, they offered to tell her for him. She was thrilled, and they soon met outside of work, where they spent two and a half hours talking and laughing, discussing all their similarities.
"We both hate olives, both love roller coasters," Tallady told The Grand Rapids Press.
It sounds like they've still got plenty of catching up to do – luckily, they'll always know right where to find one another.
A good friend of ours is adopted and in NYS the law is that you can get non identifying info merely by doing an application to the state health department. I believe you can get medical info (although probalby not current) from there to, no problem.
Then if both the adoptee and the birth parent(s) register, the state will exchange the info with the two parties. This I believe is the best way. Circumstances surrounding the birth indicate the parents would probably be receptive to meeting him, he has not yet registered for identifying info. Personally I think he is afraid of submitting his name and not getting a notice that his birth parents have also registered, I could fully understand and adoptee's disappointment in that respect, but the state's adoptive registry is not that old in the whole scheme of things, the non identifying info provided showed birth parents as on the older side which could easily mean they would be deceased as opposed to they didn't register. On the other hand, if you placed a child up for adoption 50 and 60years ago, meaning you're probably 70, 80, or more, you might not even be aware of the existence of such registry. Think of some of the older voter who registered with a party back decades ago. Politics and voting were different back decades ago, and the voter to this day is probably voting straight party line, regardless of what the incumbent is doing/has done/has not done; in reality, they probably don't even know who there party's candidate is----but let's use this only as an analogy.....likewise the birth parent(s) may not be aware of things around them and that doesn't mean they have alzheimers.
That said there are other considerations. The one article indicated that generally birth parent(s) are happy and welcome meeting their child. But what about a woman who was raped and to have the product of the rape appears at her door. Rape is, well in the past even more, a difficult subject. Today the woman and society understand it wasn't her fault. 40 years ago the belief is probably that it's highly possible it was her fault, and that could open up old wounds. Perhaps she later married and did not tell her husband. or children. To prevent such bad things to heppen in cases like this, the law seems sufficient, let the mother register if she wishes to allow her child, product of rape, to contact her. The birth mothers who register when it was a rape would be good stable women who can talk to the offspring that would make them feel good, such as "rape is terrible, keeping you would have made it difficult for me to be a good mother, every child needs a good mother, therefore I felt adoption was best. However you were always in my heart and I'm pleased that we met, now what are your questions?"
Some birth parents may be deceased and even if they would otherwise be amenable to meeting the birth child, suppose the birth parent did not tell the other children? You appear at their doorstep, you could be in for a disappointment, other children might think you are out for the family money. And mother isn't around to smooth things over between you and your half siblings.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Bill benefits adoptees and their birth parents First published: Friday, January 25, 2008
This issue is about adult adoptees who are being denied civil rights. Although some adoptees will not seek out birth/natural families until their adoptive parents are deceased or until they are older, some will want to know when they are 18 and they should have the right. Surrender papers are what women like myself, Sylvia Ackerson and many other mothers who surrendered to adoption signed. We are well aware we signed surrender papers terminating our parental rights, which contain nothing about confidentiality. I, like other mothers who surrendered to adoption, and adoptive parents who are not adopted, have our original birth certificates and know our identity -- unlike adoptees. This is about adult adoptees and their rights. There are some myths being perpetuated by some in state government that natural parents are shocked when contacted by adoptees and that the registry protects those who do not wish to be found. Neither of these hold true in today's world. I believe most New Yorkers would agree the law is slow to catch up with the changing times of society. The New York Bill of Adoptee Rights is a good bill giving all adult adoptees access to a copy of their original birth certificate and updated medical histories at age 18. It gives birth/natural parents the option of filing a contact preference meaning they want contact, they want contact but only through an intermediary, or they do not want contact. JOYCE BAHR President New York Statewide Adoption Reform http://www.unsealedinitiative.org
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