Adoption & Adoptees?

Question

I am giving a speech on "Right to Know"

Adopted children being allowed to know thier birth parents

Any quotes / stories/ statistics u would like to share

I'm open for a lot of suggestions

Answer 1

Adopted children have no right to know their origins currently under law, but adopted adults do in 6 states and many provinces and countries around our world. 44 states deny adult adoptees access to their identifying information.

http://www.b******s.org has great information, but hasn't been updated in a while.

http://www.AdopteeRights.net is a site that is working towards a protest this July 22, 2008 for adult adoptees to protest their sealed records at the Annual State Legislatures Convention in new Orleans. The State Legislatures are the people who have the power to unseal our records.

States who have opened their records have shown a decrease in abortions ( contrary to what the right to lifers ( open records largest opponent next to the NCFA ) have to say )

You can also see that stats from those states who've opened their records on contact preferences. New Hampshire hasn't had one no contact preference in the last 2 years filed.

For some great stats on Open Records you can reference the protest's infromation board on AAAFC! :

http://www.adultadoptees.org/forum/index...

especially: http://www.adultadoptees.org/forum/index...

and

http://www.adultadoptees.org/forum/index...

Here are some NH vital stats: http://www.sos.nh.gov/vitalrecords/Pread...

and this report ( the only of its kind ) is valuble to you too!

http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/researc...

I think something important to stress is that there is no legal right to reunion, but we should have a right to our records, as all other non adopted people do. Its discrimination and a violation of our rights to deny us our original birth certificates and access to our ancestry. It doesn't give us a right to a reunion and a right to a relationship, but it does give us a right to our identity which we can trace w/ or without contacting our biological relatives.

Answer 2

I am adopted, and i feel that you should be able to know who youre parents are and where they are..or have some way to contact them so one day when you are ready you can meet them if you so wish.

Answer 3

My right to know, in my mind, also extends to my children.  My history is their history.  To deny me MY rights, also denies my children of their rights.

I am surprised that the medical profession is not out making headlines about adoptees' medical histories.  I wouldn't care so much about my medical history if my doctors would stop asking about it.

Right to know is one thing...I know who my bparents are, where they live, their phone number, etc....but I still can't have my original birth certificate...to protect their anonymity.  

My bbrother found out about me when he was 31 years old.  Why did our bparents have the right to "steal" my existence away from him?  Given the knowledge of my existence and the ability to contact me, he did so IMMEDIATELY.  

I am listed on my bbrother's birth certificate as "previous birth to mother, now dead."  Why isn't HIS birth certificate being amended to reflect the truth?  Why aren't our bparents being prosecuted for knowingly providing false information for his birth certificate?