Do you know about this?

Question

http://equalityforadoptedchildren.org/index.html

Answer 1

No I hadn't heard about that.  Haven't read enough yet to say what I think about it.

How did you come accross this site, Kristy?

Answer 2

Mixed feelings. I agree that adoptees should have equal rights, and I think that open records are a crucial part of that.

My major concern about the site is that they appear to take the view that either all adoptees are children, or that only while they are children is it important to protect their rights. I'd feel more comfortable with it if they were advocating for the rights of adopted adults as well (or if they already are, made that part of their mission more apparent.) The sole focus on children seems a little misplaced, since people who are adopted no more remain children forever than anyone else does.

Answer 3

Sign a petition that supports closed records?  NEVER!  You go right ahead - have at it.  Enjoy your free membership in the club of the "Whos Who" of anti-adoptee rights (check out the Board of Directors).

Answer 4

I'm highly skeptical. I think its a ploy by the govt. to distract people from the real issues that are involved in adoption.

If you go to whois.org and run a look up for who owns the website, you'll see that its owned by McLane Layton.

The contact email for her is: mclane@tongoursimpson

then if you run a google for mclane layton up comes some informative information.

Specifically this website: http://www.tongoursimpson.com/print_who.... ( notice the relation between the email listed on the whois domain ownership to the website domain listed from google research )

Clearly the people working for the feds on this site have lots of knowledge in legislative action. Why aren't they supporting unconditional open records for adoptees on this site?

McLane Layton

McLane Layton joined the firm as a partner on November 1, 2006. Prior to joining the firm, she served as the Director of External Affairs for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In this position she oversaw the agency's public outreach to Congress, Federal agencies, media, state, international and industry leaders and the general public.

McLane has more than 20 years of environmental, energy and public affairs experience. For 15 years, she served as U.S. Senator Don Nickles' legislative counsel on energy and environment law and policy. She also worked extensively on legislative issues involving adoption. Prior to joining Senator Nickles, she advised the Counsel to the U.S. President on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. From 1984 to 1990, McLane was an attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior and worked on cases involving regulations and litigation on oil and gas leasing, land and mineral rights, timber, rights-of-way and historic preservation.

She received a master's degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia and her bachelor's and law degrees from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her Bar Memberships include the Supreme Court of Oklahoma and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

McLane has lived in Europe, Africa and the United States. Originally from Tennessee, she is married with five children.

****

Notice, she's worked extensively on legislative issues concerning adoption.

Anyone curious which ones?

I am...

So now lets google "adoption" "mclane layton" and see what we find.

Oh! she has a blog for adoption.com ( immediate thumbs down for me they're very anti-adoptee )

Then you click on a couple other links in which McLane has been a part of:

http://www.legistorm.com/trip/list/by/sp...

And after reading this for a while, and knowing what has happened in these countries, my conclusion ( and anyone correct me if I'm wrong ) is they're trying to insure that adoption is open and remains a viable option in these countries.

Her name comes up in google linked to the Coalition on Adoption Insitute who's mission is :

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes; and to eliminating the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family.

translation: we want to keep adoption open to rich couples in our country for as long as possible because we're making lots of money off of it. If we were really into helping the children we'd publicize alternative resources that provide for children and are much less cost efficient than the price of one international adoption today.

*****

so I'm not really surprised that they're only talking about "children" they should be lableing them as "orphans" ( when so many of the "orphans" in international adoptions aren't really orphans to begin with )Because from my exerience the US sees adult adoptees as children. We're treated like children in the eyes of the law and they're not even covering access to our birth certificates. If they want us to be "equal" to the non adopted, they should be starting with our rights, here in the US. Notice the statement of principles...they're advocating FOR sealed records. I put * marks for quick reference.

Statement of Principles:

   1. All children deserve a permanent family and home.

   2. Adopted children are to be treated as if the “natural issue” of their adoptive parents. They are due the same rights, duties and responsibilities as a biological child.

   3. Both domestic and foreign-born adopted children of American citizens deserve equal treatment under state and federal laws.

   4. Neither federal nor state laws should show preference to biological children over adopted children.

   5. Federal law should not treat foreign adopted children of American citizens as immigrants but rather as dependent children of American parents.

   **6. Families formed or enlarged by adoption deserve the same treatment under state and federal law as families with biological children.

   **7. The adoption process must ensure that safeguards remain in place to protect birth families, orphans, homeless children and adoptive families from fraud and abuse.

   **8. The adoption process should be as simple and streamlined as possible in order that more children who need families can be placed in a permanent family and home.

***************************

I as an adoptee rights activist, and pro-adoptee citizen of the united states of america would NEVER endorse this site or its affiliates.  

Answer 5

I hadn't seen it before but its a little weird IMO.

Also, I don't really support adopted children being eligible for the presidency if they were born overseas to foreign parents. They are not natural born citizens, nor were they born to american citizens. Are they assuming that everyone adopted is adopted as an infant? Could we have people being adopted from a foreign country at 15 and under this legislation they could run for the presidency as a 'natural born' citizen? What sort of cut off age are they proposing?

Anyway, I don't agree with it no matter what the age limit they want is, if they want one.  

Answer 6

I actually don't like that site very much.  They just want to 'streamline' adoptions and make them easier and less complicated.

The open records aren't even one of their top priorities.

However, one IMPORTANT thing that I REALLY agree with is bettering the treatment of International Adoptees and not treating them like second class citizens.  IA's are NOT immigrants.  They should be citizens.  All adoptees should be citizens.

Answer 7

I'm against anything co-kidnappers recommend.