What are some of the goals of adoption reform?

Question

The idea of adoption reform is interesting to me, but I am not familiar with many of the issues. Could someone explain to me the goals of adoption reform, and the reasons that reform is necessary? Are there any groups which are currently working for this reform?

Answer 1

One of the reforms that I would like to see US adoption law follow is the model set out by the Australian government. I do not know if this is state-by-state law or if it pertains to the whole country, but it has been very successful in reducing the need for infant adoption.

That is, I would like the government of the US to support women for 6 months post birth; to give them time with their child, to allow them to further bond after carrying their child for 9 months and going through the very real physical pain AND wonder of giving birth. Furthermore, a woman should not be involved in any way what-so-ever with prospective adoptive parents prior to giving birth. I have read that pre-birth agreements are illegal in Australia. I know for a fact that in Australia and in MANY countries “private” adoptions are ILLEGAL!

I think it is a crime against women and their children to

1) allow ANY type of pre-birth matching/planning for adoption. Women should be encouraged to parent; they often have NO life experience with which to draw from when considering the consequences of adoption, which are life-long – generations can be lost to adoption.

2) have the current laws in place that allow women to terminate their parental rights before they have given birth, or to tpr within a couple of hours or a couple of days after having given birth. This is simply a barbaric practice that has no place in any society, much less a democratic one.

3)  to allow a woman to go through the adoption process without ALL of the facts – this includes BIASED counseling from women who have lost children to adoption. A social worker, adoption facilitator, or adoption lawyer who has never lost a child to adoption cannot adequately counsel a woman on the loss she may experience.

Why is adoption reform necessary, because as adoption is practiced in the US today, it is based on profit – not human rights, not on family preservation, but on profit. Infant adoption relies on a certain portion of our AMERICAN citizens to provide a marketable product (our sons and daughters) in order to fulfill the demands of the adoption industry – fueled by folks who want to “build a forever family”.

Just as a reminder, the forever family is built on loss and quite often on greed and self-entitlement.

Answer 2

LaurieDB answered very articulately about the issue of open records.  I agree that this is one of the important issues in adoption reform.

A completely different issue is that of coercion of bparents, usually the bmom, into relinquishing her child.  A young, scared, and probably uninformed girl who discovers herself unexpectedly pregnant is an easy target for an experienced "adoption industry."  Bparents are not usually counseled about programs that would make it easier to support and therefore keep the child.  Bparents are not usually informed of the potential harmful effects for the child separated from his/her biological mother and the sense of self lost in not knowing his/her social and cultural history.  Many bdads are never informed of their paternity which makes it impossible for them to exercise their parental rights.  Some adoption agencies actually transport pregnant women across state borders to states where the laws are less strict and it is easier to circumvent bdads' rights.  Potential adoptive parents' involvement during the pregnancy and actual birth is often perceived as a subtle form or coercion as well.  Bmoms are mistakenly led to believe that the child is already "reserved" and therefore she must "fulfill her end of the bargain" by relinquishing her child.  All of these things, in my mind, can result in unnecessary and deeply regretted adoptions.

Answer 3

I will address one of the areas of adoption reform.  It is in regard to states sealing adopted persons' birth records from them.  Many organizations work for the re-establishment of equal treatment under the law for adopted citizens in all states.  The largest is b*****d Nation (http://www.b******s.org.)  Currently, adopted citizens are the only citizens in 44 states who cannot access their own factual records of birth without meeting various conditions.  Two states, Alaska and Kansas, have never discriminated against adopted persons in this manner.  Four other states, Oregon, Alabama, Maine and New Hampshire, have returned to the practice of giving adopted persons equality under the law.

Interestingly, people who are relinquished by their natural parents or whose parents' parental rights were terminated do not have their  birth records sealed from them.  The records are only sealed if and when an adoption finalizes.  People who are relinquished but never adopted or whose adoptions fail do not have their birth records sealed from them.  So, it's not related in any way to the current concept of "birthparent anonymity" that is floating around.  If it were, the records would seal upon relinquishment. The fact that they don't shows that there is no intent or ability to give birthparents any kind of anonymity by sealing these records from adopted persons.

Edit:

Alisa, who said all adopted persons hate to be called b******s?  The term b*****d is still part of law in 18 states.  Not long ago in Nevada, one could find a sign at the Department of Vital Statistics showing a cost of $15.00 to have a birth certificate "bastardized."   I have no problem with the term b*****d when used properly.

Answer 4

There are so many different ways to think of reform, that you'll never get a concise answer.  

For instance, many reformists want OBC's unsealed.  I personally disagree with this from a legal standpoint.  However, I DO believe in adoption reform in other ways.  For instance, I am very VERY interested in promoting open adoption, and in making all open adoption contracts legally enforceable in ways similar to custody agreements.  Some of them already are, but not all of them.  

On the other hand, you have many people that are WAY on the far side of adoption reform and believe that all pregnant women (do not EVER use "birthmother" with them) should be practically forced into parenting, even when they believe adoption to be the best option.  Many of these people are adoptees who have significant pain over adoption.  

As far as I know, there are many groups available for adoption reform, but because each group has it's own agenda (some of which conflict with eachother) most of them are making minimal progress.  How often do we hear political candidates even TALK about adoption?  

I personally would love to find a group that is actually doing something about adoption reform, but I haven't been able to find any that coincide with what I personally feel is correct.  I am not as active as I should be (in many areas) about writing my congressmen and things like that.  However, there are lots of things you CAN do in daily life.  Almost everyone knows someone who is/has adopted a child.  Casually slipping things into conversations can influence people.  I have one lady who is a "friend of a friend" who was trying for years to adopt an infant.  Over time, I gradually wore her down to looking more seriously into foster care adoption - and guess what, within months she had an 8 month old placed with her and the adoption process started.  These type of things are small successes, but they can build a basis for bigger movements later on.  

Good luck!

Answer 5

One needs to be careful when legislators take up the issue of adoption reform.  Sometimes the "adoption reform" that they propose is an adoption agenda that is being pushed by the adoption industry and adoptive parents to roll the clock back to the baby scoop era when infants were cheap and plentiful.

Read carefully for proposals to shorten or eliminate the length of time that parents have to revoke their consent to adoption, to allow women to sign consents immediately after giving birth, to allow the industry to make greater profits, and to allow termination of the rights of fathers without their consent.  The same people will try to keep adoptions closed and seal away original birth certificates.

Read carefully!!!

Some great answers here about GOOD adoption reforms.

Answer 6

In addition to what has been stated already re. equal access for all citizens to their true record of birth;

A halt to profiteering from what should be a social service, to protect families and children in need.

Answer 7

The previous posters gave great answers. I wouldn't even think to try and add my 2 cents worth.

Answer 8

unconditional open records for adult adoptees - b*****d Nation (b******s.org) is the nations largest adoptee rights organization fighting for this. AAC ( americanadoptioncongress.org) is the next largest.

A number of other organizations  support open records for adult adoptees but aren't actively working towards achieving it in legislation.

http://www.AdopteeRights.net is where a demonstration is being organized at the annual state legislatures convention for open records.

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Those are the goals of reform I currently have and am working on daily.

There are more in the future, but thats where I'm at now so... there ya go!