Since the mission has been accomplished in Ohio, this will likely be my last post. Many thanks to all who contributed to restoring adoptee rights in Ohio.  Hopefully, the material referenced here will help others in their struggle in the remaining closed states.

Please don't let this chance to ROAR pass you by!

Please don't let this chance to Restore Ohio Adoptee Rights pass you by!

Each of us who cares about this needs to dig deep into our resources to make it happen.  This includes time, effort and money.  These opportunities are RARE.  If you want the law changed, do everything you can to make it happen.  Everything helps - please just act and keep it up: attend the hearings, call & write legislators & newspapers and give a little to cover the expenses, PLEASE!

• Communicating with legislators for ROAR2013
• Donating to ROAR2013

This is OUR TIME!
This is OUR CAUSE!
This is OUR RESPONSIBILITY!
FIGHT TO RESTORE YOUR RIGHTS!

Three Years to a bill (actually longer)

THREE YEARS after I started this blog, there is finally a bill to restore my rights in Ohio.  God it feels good.  So many people working so hard for so long - very excited.  I love what Adoption Equity Ohio (AEO) is doing with the effort.  Lots of good coverage in social media channels and plenty of places identified to help.  I'm including one of their banner images:

Adoption Equity Ohio - ROAR2013

Ways To Help

Tonight I saw the most concrete set of ways to contribute to the cause in a recent post/update from AEO.  Now that there's an actual bill, supporters can finally reference exactly what they need to put their voice behind: Senate Bill SB23 and House Bill HB61!  You can help by spreading the word of your support for this bill under these two numbers and legislators throughout the Ohio Legislature will know exactly what you want.

Among the things you can do, which are listed in the post by AEO (see bullet points), are:

• Attend committee hearings
• Write letters to the editors of local newspapers
• Write legislators
• Write your adoption agency
• And even make financial contributions

Each of these things (except attending the committee hearings) can be done anytime and multiple times between now and when the bill becomes law - so, if you haven't done anything yet, it's not too late to act!

I'm so very excited  

I hope in my own small way I can help get the word out and ensure that people know I'm in favor of this bill to restore adoptee rights in Ohio.  It's taken three years since I started this blog to even get a chance at a bill, but it's been almost 20 since this area of law has actually changed - a reminder to me of how many people have been working for so long before me to correct this injustice.

Please, if you're reading this, click the link above, pick a task or two and take the action to help make this happen.

Please.

And thank you :-)

Finally! A bill on the horizon!

After much waiting, it looks like Adoption Network Cleveland and Adoption Equity Ohio may have pulled off introduction of the first bill to restore adoptee rights in Ohio in years.  Looks like their #ROAR2013 campaign is set to kick off in 2013 and has the goal of at least restoring birth certificate access to adoptees born & adopted in the closed years of 1964-1996.  This could be quite momentous. Here's one adoptee sincerely hoping it happens and standing ready to support this bill with all my might!

See Adoption Equity Ohio's Site for details!

Foiled by the probate court

Well, after more than $1,000 and months of working and waiting, the probate court denied my petition to access my original birth certificate. Can't say I'm surprised but I am surprised at how much rage it surfaced in me. The judge cited expectations of confidentiality and that I hadn't shown sufficient cause. Amazing to think that another citizen's potential wishes trump my birthright. Ohio makes me so mad sometimes.

For other adoptees considering the same route, please note that contrary to the advice given me by the probate court clerk, you do not have to hire an attorney (apparently neither the clerk nor my attorney was really up on that little tidbit). I'd say save yourself the money and make a stab at it yourself. You'll likely be just as disappointed with the outcome, but you'll save over $1,000.

I now think we're all just better off fighting even harder, making phone calls and actually visiting with legislators - imploring them to sponsor a bill to restore adult adoptee rights.

I'm mad as hell and should probably refrain from writing more at this point.

New AEO Initiative

So excited to see Adoption Equity Ohio launch a new letter-writing campaign to restore adoptee rights! I always welcome another chance to feel like I'm contributing to ending the insanity of sealed records!
Click the envelope to see the details at the site: adoptionequityohio.org.

They also added a nifty new video summarizing the cause.

The Motion/Petition Route

Well, it's been a while since I've posted I see. In the past few months I've started taking a different tack (beyond volunteer and paid searchers) and decided to try the legal route. I've hired an attorney in the State of Ohio to file a petition on my behalf to obtain my original birth certificate. Among the arguments the legal firm is considering are:

• Freedom of Information Act
• Equal treatment under the law
• Citing that the contract to seal the record was between the birth parent, adoptive parent and the state and that this leaves out one critical party: ME, the adoptee
• Common law practice in the modern era is to assume the records are open unless the birth parent requests them be sealed, so as a consequence, the 1964-1996 laws are out-of-step with common public policy of the present.

I've also drafted a personal appeal letter to the judge to personalize/humanize the package we give the judge.

In the county where my adoption took place, I have the interesting issue of dealing with an interim judge because the primary/former judge has recently retired. After doing some research on the interim judge, I find that he seems rather conservative in his views and since he'll only be serving through the end of September, I've decided to wait and take my chances on the more permanent judge who'll be appointed to replace the temporary one.

I sincerely hope the birth parents and truth that I seek won't be lost to a death that occurs in the next few months. That would be quite hard to acknowledge - particularly if my not waiting might have gotten me closer to the answers I've always sought.

I fantasize also that, if this petition succeeds, it might help lay additional precedent for the state to acknowledge how antiquated and unjust the 1964-1996 law is. I guess we'll see. My hopes aren't very high, but for the roughly $600 it's costing me, I figure it's worth a try.

Some of my modest contributions to the cause

I know that there are a great number of people out there who have devoted a lot of time and energy to the cause of opening birth records to adult adoptees and my comparatively recent efforts are modest by any measure. However, if you’re presently like I was just a few years ago, you welcome the chance to jump in and take some action – any action. One of the more satisfying steps I’ve taken was to ensure that I made the Ohio State Assembly aware of my stance on the issue. Hence, in addition to my previous post about sparring with Troy Dunn of the “The Locator”, I’ve also written every single representative and senator in the Ohio State Assembly. Below, you'll find all of the contact information for every member of the Ohio State Assembly as well as my draft note/email templates.

If you are an Ohio resident, you can find your specific representative here:
http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=58
and your specific senator here:
http://www.ohiosenate.gov/map.html

if you wish to contact all state assemblymen and/or are not an Ohio resident, here is the complete email list:

Ohio Senate
Name(Party) Email
Steve Buehrer (R) SD01@senate.state.oh.us
Mark Wagoner (R) SD02@senate.state.oh.us
David Goodman (R) SD03@senate.state.oh.us
Gary Cates (R) SD04@senate.state.oh.us
Fred Strahorn (D) SD05@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Jon Husted (R) SD06@senate.state.oh.us
Shannon Jones (R) SD07@senate.state.oh.us
Bill Seitz (R) SD08@senate.state.oh.us
Eric Kearney (D) SD09@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Chris Widener (R) SD10@senate.state.oh.us
Teresa Fedor (D) SD11@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Keith Faber (R) SD12@senate.state.oh.us
Sue Morano (D) SD13@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Tom Niehaus (R) SD14@senate.state.oh.us
Ray Miller (D) SD15@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Jim Hughes (R) SD16@senate.state.oh.us
John Carey (R) SD17@senate.state.oh.us
Tim Grendell (R) SD18@senate.state.oh.us
Bill Harris (R) SD19@senate.state.oh.us
Jimmy Stewart (R) SD20@senate.state.oh.us
Shirley A. Smith (D) SD21@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Bob Gibbs (R) SD22@senate.state.oh.us
Dale Miller (D) SD23@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Tom Patton (R) SD24@senate.state.oh.us
Nina Turner (D) SD25@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Karen Gillmor (R) SD26@senate.state.oh.us
Kevin Coughlin (R) SD27@senate.state.oh.us
Tom Sawyer (D) SD28@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Kirk Schuring (R) SD29@senate.state.oh.us
Jason Wilson (D) SD30@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Tim Schaffer (R) SD31@senate.state.oh.us
Capri S. Cafaro (D) SD32@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Joe Schiavoni (D) SD33@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Source:http://www.ohiosenate.gov/directory.html

Ohio House of Representatives
Name Party District Email
John Adams Republican 78 district78@ohr.state.oh.us
Richard Adams Republican 79 district79@ohr.state.oh.us
Ron Amstutz Republican 3 district03@ohr.state.oh.us
Kevin Bacon Republican 21 district21@ohr.state.oh.us
Nan Baker Republican 16 district16@ohr.state.oh.us
Troy Balderson Republican 94 district94@ohr.state.oh.us
William G.Batchelder Republican 69 district69@ohr.state.oh.us
Peter Beck Republican 67 district67@ohr.state.oh.us
Robin Belcher Democrat 10 district10@ohr.state.oh.us
Terry Blair Republican 38 district38@ohr.state.oh.us
Louis W. Blessing,Jr. Republican 29 district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Linda S. Bolon Democrat 1 district01@ohr.state.oh.us
T. Todd Book Democrat 89 district89@ohr.state.oh.us
Terry Boose Republican 58 district58@ohr.state.oh.us
Barbara Boyd Democrat 9 district09@ohr.state.oh.us
Edna Brown Democrat 48 district48@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp Republican 88 district88@ohr.state.oh.us
Armond Budish Democrat 8 district08@ohr.state.oh.us
Dave Burke Republican 83 district83@ohr.state.oh.us
John Patrick Carney Democrat 22 district22@ohr.state.oh.us
Ted Celeste Democrat 24 district24@ohr.state.oh.us
Kathleen Chandler Democrat 68 district68@ohr.state.oh.us
William P.Coley,II Republican 55 district55@ohr.state.oh.us
Courtney Eric Combs Republican 54 district54@ohr.state.oh.us
David T. Daniels Republican 86 district86@ohr.state.oh.us
Michael DeBose Democrat 12 district12@ohr.state.oh.us
Timothy J.DeGeeter Democrat 15 district15@ohr.state.oh.us
Timothy Derickson Republican 53 district53@ohr.state.oh.us
Dan Dodd Democrat 91 district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Matthew J. Dolan Republican 98 district98@ohr.state.oh.us
John Domenick Democrat 95 district95@ohr.state.oh.us
Denise Driehaus Democrat 31 district31@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Dyer Democrat 43 district43@ohr.state.oh.us
Clyde Evans Republican 87 district87@ohr.state.oh.us
Lorraine M. Fende Democrat 62 district62@ohr.state.oh.us
Mike Foley Democrat 14 district14@ohr.state.oh.us
Randy Gardner Republican 6 district06@ohr.state.oh.us
Nancy Garland Democrat 20 district20@ohr.state.oh.us
Jennifer Garrison Democrat 93 district93@ohr.state.oh.us
Ronald V. Gerberry Democrat 59 district59@ohr.state.oh.us
Bruce W. Goodwin Republican 74 district74@ohr.state.oh.us
Jay P. Goyal Democrat 73 district73@ohr.state.oh.us
Cheryl Grossman Republican 23 district23@ohr.state.oh.us
Robert Hackett Republican 84 district84@ohr.state.oh.us
Robert F. Hagan Democrat 60 district60@ohr.state.oh.us
Dave Hall Republican 97 district97@ohr.state.oh.us
Marian Harris Democrat 19 district19@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Stabile Harwood Democrat 65 district65@ohr.state.oh.us
Tracy Maxwell Heard Democrat 26 district26@ohr.state.oh.us
Cliff Hite Republican 76 district76@ohr.state.oh.us
Jay Hottinger Republican 71 district71@ohr.state.oh.us
Matt Huffman Republican 4 district04@ohr.state.oh.us
Kris Jordan Republican 2 district02@ohr.state.oh.us
Joseph Koziura Democrat 56 district56@ohr.state.oh.us
Peggy Lehner Republican 37 district37@ohr.state.oh.us
Tom Letson Democrat 64 district64@ohr.state.oh.us
Clayton R. Luckie Democrat 39 district39@ohr.state.oh.us
Matt Lundy Democrat 57 district57@ohr.state.oh.us
Ron Maag Republican 35 district35@ohr.state.oh.us
Dale Mallory Democrat 32 district32@ohr.state.oh.us
Josh Mandel Republican 17 district17@ohr.state.oh.us
Jarrod Martin Republican 70 district70@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeffrey McClain Republican 82 district82@ohr.state.oh.us
Ross McGregor Republican 72 district72@ohr.state.oh.us
Robert Mecklenborg Republican 30 district30@ohr.state.oh.us
Mike Moran Democrat 42 district42@ohr.state.oh.us
Seth Morgan Republican 36 district36@ohr.state.oh.us
Dennis Murray Democrat 80 district80@ohr.state.oh.us
Deborah Newcomb Democrat 99 district99@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Scott Oelslager Republican 51 district51@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark D. Okey Democrat 61 district61@ohr.state.oh.us
John R. Otterman Democrat 45 district45@ohr.state.oh.us
Matt Patten Democrat 18 district18@ohr.state.oh.us
Debbie Phillips Democrat 92 district92@ohr.state.oh.us
Connie Pillich Democrat 28 district28@ohr.state.oh.us
Raymond Pryor Democrat 85 district85@ohr.state.oh.us
Margaret Ruhl Republican 90 district90@ohr.state.oh.us
Allan R. Sayre Democrat 96 district96@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark A. Schneider Democrat 63 district63@ohr.state.oh.us
Barbara R. Sears Republican 46 district46@ohr.state.oh.us
Michael Skindell Democrat 13 district13@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Slesnick Democrat 52 district52@ohr.state.oh.us
Todd Snitchler Republican 50 district50@ohr.state.oh.us
Peter Stautberg Republican 34 district34@ohr.state.oh.us
Gerald L. Stebelton Republican 5 district05@ohr.state.oh.us
Dan Stewart Democrat 25 district25@ohr.state.oh.us
Vernon Sykes Democrat 44 district44@ohr.state.oh.us
Matt Szollosi Democrat 49 district49@ohr.state.oh.us
Joe Uecker Republican 66 district66@ohr.state.oh.us
Peter S. Ujvagi Democrat 47 district47@ohr.state.oh.us
Lynn R. Wachtmann Republican 75 district75@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeff Wagner Republican 81 district81@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Carlton Weddington Democrat 27 district27@ohr.state.oh.us
Brian G. Williams Democrat 41 district41@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Williams Democrat 11 district11@ohr.state.oh.us
Roland Winburn Democrat 40 district40@ohr.state.oh.us
Tyrone K. Yates Democrat 33 district33@ohr.state.oh.us
Kenny Yuko Democrat 7 district07@ohr.state.oh.us
James J. Zehringer Republican 77 district77@ohr.state.oh.us
Source:http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&Itemid=57
__________

Here is my original email template that I wrote and sent to each assemblyman. You’re welcome to reuse it in its entirety or as inspiration for your own note.

Subject: Providing adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates

Dear [ASSEMBLYMAN],

As an Ohio adoptee born in [City/County] I implore you to support legislation to make original birth certificates unconditionally accessible to ALL adult adoptees. For too long Ohio has denied the rights and dignity of adult adoptees, the time has come for change.

Since my birth in 1970, I've wondered about my origins for 39 years. I'm frustrated that I should have to justify my need to know my own birth parents to anyone and even more frustrated that Ohio is willing to tolerate the current state of affairs. The bizarre situation that blocks birth record access to adoptees such as me, born between 1964 and 1996, is a testament to legislation run amok. I urge you to try to imagine what it would be like if you didn't know your birth parents and worse, what it would be like to know the state government has that information but denies you access to it because of the circumstances surrounding your birth - circumstances over which you never had any control. The thousands of adoptees, like me, that cannot access our original birth certificates are innocent and blameless in this matter, yet we are adult citizens who are denied the rights granted everyone else. It is time for the Ohio legislature and you, [ASSEMBLYMAN], to take action and quit tolerating the status quo.

The reasons for opening the records are obvious:
1) It is a right.
This is a birthright taken for granted by all non-adopted citizens of Ohio (and the rest of the nation for that matter) and it should not be denied adult adoptees. To continue to deny this right is to make adult adoptees second-class citizens and this is unacceptable.

2) Family medical history.
Family medical history is unknown to adult adoptees and Ohio enforces this ignorance by law. If you choose inaction on this effort, you will be denying people born in Ohio critical tools with which to maintain and plan for their long-term healthcare.

3) Reunion.
An adult adoptee’s desire to know his or her own birth parents is a fundamental need shared by all people. Again, please try to imagine what it would be like to not know your birth mother, but instead discover that the state knows but won’t share the information. Ohio must quit trying to intervene in the affairs of families affected by adoption and allow them to reunite on their own terms.

The arguments against opening the records are flawed:
1) Abortion rates will increase: False and immaterial.
Thanks to the efforts of progressive states like Oregon which opened its records to adoptees almost a decade ago, we now have statistics to support the fact that open records do not adversely affect abortion rates. Since opening records, abortion rates have actually declined and adoption rates have remained steady (see Oregon Bureau of Vital Statistics). Further, denying adult adoptees access to their own birth records simply because this might increase abortions is analogous (if you’re pro-life) to restricting the civil liberties of an innocent segment of the population (adult adoptees) in order to reduce the homicides of another (babies) at the hands of yet another 3rd party (birth mothers). How can this be considered even remotely just or logical?

2) The records are sealed to protect the birth mothers: False.
First, this was not the original intent of the law. William B. Norris, the attorney instrumental in sealing Ohio adoptee birth records testified under oath before the Ohio State Legislature in the 1990's that his goal was merely to protect his young adopted children from the prying eyes of the public and in the worst case the birth parents. He further testified that he didn’t anticipate the needs of his adult adopted children to want to learn about their heritage and regretted the law’s unintended consequence of blocking adult adoptees from accessing this information. Anyone who purports protection of birth mothers to be the motivation for the law is completely wrong.
Second, once the adoptee reaches adulthood, there is no one left to protect. Adult adoptees and their birth parents are perfectly capable of working through the challenging and uncomfortable situations that may arise from reunion. Adults do this every day and they do so without state intervention or protection. Ohio should acknowledge this and realize that placing the concerns of the birth mother over the desire for truth sought by the adult adoptee creates an inequality between the two citizens that is wrong. The birth mother's rights do not supersede those of the adult adoptee, period.

This issue has an obvious and just resolution. Unconditional access to original birth certificates is a birthright of all citizens that must not be denied adult adoptees.

Please exercise your good judgment and leadership and do your part to open Ohio's birth records to adult adoptees.

Thank you sincerely,
[YOUR NAME HERE]

p.s. – I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further with you should you wish to learn more and/or hear about my personal experiences.

__________

Here is a template draft that I’ve shared with friends/supporters who aren’t themselves adopted. This text makes it easier for your friends to participate as you’ve saved them most of the time they’d otherwise spend crafting a custom note.

Subject: Providing adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates

Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor],
As a person who knows an adoptee affected by Ohio’s closed birth record statutes, I implore you to support legislation to make original birth certificates unconditionally accessible to ALL adult adoptees. For too long Ohio has denied the rights and dignity of adult adoptees and the time has come for change.

Thanks to the efforts of progressive states like Oregon, we now have statistics to support the fact that open records harm none of the adoption triad (birth parents, adoptive parents and the adoptee). Since opening their records abortion rates have declined and thousands of adoptees have requested and received their original birth certificates. Further, the decision of a birth parent to not be contacted is no different from that in any adult relationship. It is obvious that sealing birth records to protect birth parents forces adult adoptees into a second-class citizen status vis-à-vis the birth parent. Why should the birth parent’s decisions supersede those of the adult adoptee? Adults can resolve complicated and uncomfortable situations themselves and do so every day without state intervention. Ohio should accept this and acknowledge that there is no one to protect once the adoptee reaches adulthood.

This issue has an obvious and just resolution. Unconditional access to original birth certificates is a birthright of all citizens that must not be denied adoptees.
Please exercise your good judgment and leadership and do your part to open Ohio’s birth records to adult adoptees.

Thank you sincerely,
[YOUR NAME HERE]

__________

If you live in Ohio and are interested in becoming more involved, I noticed that Adoption Equity Ohio is looking for regional organizers to help coordinate the volunteers/supporter efforts to help get the upcoming bill passed.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I hope this inspires you to action. Be sure to check back as I intend to do my best to keep you informed on how you can help further in the future – especially once we confirm there’s a new bill introduced in the Ohio State Assembly which will require multiple actions from many people to be successful.

Thanks for your time and attention!

WEtv and The Locator

If you haven’t heard of him, Troy Dunn (AKA “The Locator”), has been on the air via WEtv for some time now. Troy’s entertainment niche is reality TV in which he, as a private investigator, reunites long lost family members through his generous and magical search capabilities. Included among the reunions are those of adoptees and birth parents. If this concept didn’t already make your stomach turn, note that viewer comments to his site laud his selflessness as the reunion services are provided free to on-air participants and given that he is shown on camera walking away from the reunited parties before they can realize he’s departed. Never mind the fact that Mr. Dunn has a completely independent site that provides for-fee search services or the fact that a camera crew bothers to stay behind and video the whole ultra-personal, teary-eyed reunion despite the fact that the main character has walked out of frame.

If you haven’t gathered my opinion on this show from the first paragraph, let me make it plain. I believe Mr. Dunn and WEtv are exploiting the legal plight of adult adoptees for entertainment and profit and I’m quite put off by it. I decided to help the cause by feeding the media beast through a series of posts with which I’d welcome further help.

My first approach was to explain at the show’s viewer feedback blog that Troy should help resolve the cause of adult adoptees’ issue (urging his viewers to advocate state law change to provide adoptees access to their own birth certificates) rather than treating the symptom, of resolving one adoptee’s conundrum at a time. I also approached Troy on Twitter (TheLocator) to make him aware of my post. To his credit he did respond, though, his response indicated the birth certificate access issue was one of politics and not appropriate for his show. From Troy, “I appreciate your suggestions about the show, but I am not going to use the show as a political platform. We have fans from all sides of the political spectrum and I love them all. Reconnecting fractured families is something important to all families, regardless of political persuation(sic). Family is a universal value and THAT is what The Locator show is driving home- the value of family.” My response to Troy was to thank him for the forum and to point out that I wish this wasn’t a political issue – that neither I nor my fellow adoptees had any choice in making it so.
This exchange can be read in its entirety here.(in reverse chronological order – see: “AnOhioAdoptee on October 3, 2009”).

Subsequent to this post, I decided that if the show wouldn’t pursue resolution of the legal issues that actually create a venue for Troy to exploit, that perhaps he would demonstrate his largesse by revealing his highly effective search techniques so that adoptees everywhere could leverage his knowledge without having to pay for information everyone else gets as a birthright. Mr. Dunn never responded. The one-sided conversation can be found here.

My most recent attempt to call out the exploitation was when The Locator was invited to appear on the Oprah show. On both The Locator’s site and Oprah’s, I posted the following:
“I am disappointed that someone of Oprah's integrity would give legitimacy to Troy Dunn. It is hard to understand why the public fails to recognize the exploitation occurring in this man's efforts - especially in the case of adoptions. He continues to provide search services that would be largely irrelevant were it not for the unjust state laws that deny adult adoptees access to their own birth certificates. Please give air time to the root cause of this issue and urge your viewers to support changes to state laws that would restore adult adoptees' birthright: unconditional access to their original birth certificates. ” The Locator site post can be found here and the Oprah site post can be found here(search for “AnOhioAdoptee”). Neither of these posts were responded to or commented on.

I’d like to think that other adoptee rights advocates would avail themselves of this forum that WEtv has provided. They clearly welcome the feedback and if we provide more publicity for the unfortunate shows while making our cause known, I think that’s a fair exchange in the near-term. I welcome thoughts on this. In the interim, The Locator show team has actually provided a new topic asking for feedback on this very point:

Just this week, they created a discussion topic, “Should adoption drama be televised?” which can be found here: http://www.WEtv.com/forums/we-tv-shows/the-locator/should-adoption-drama-be-televised.html.

I encourage my fellow adoptee rights advocates to register and make posts conveying how you feel about the subject as I have done. I also believe we should provide support to each other’s posts and contributions (through ratings and additional comments). In the end, we should make the case that the best use of shows such as The Locator are as platforms to make them obsolete through changes to unjust laws.

Change.org vote to restore adoptee rights

There is an effort underway that seems like an excellent opportunity to spread the word about the cause and increase awareness. Concerned citizens have introduced an idea on Change.org to restore the right of adult adoptees to access their original birth certificates. There have been multiple rounds of voting and as of this post, the idea is just outside the top 10. Please visit the site within the next 2 days and ensure your vote is counted:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/return_adult_adoptees_the_right_to_their_original_birth_certificates

Thanks!

A little about me, my cause and how you can help

I’m 40 years old and was born and adopted in the state of Ohio. Growing up, I’d always known I was adopted – my adoptive parents (especially my mother) never made a secret of the fact that I was adopted. I was even read books about adoption at bedtime. In general, I didn’t think it was anything to feel shame about and while I was curious about my birth parents and fantasized about what they might be like, I don’t recall the issue being a defining point of my being.

However, as I entered my 30’s I started to feel quite a bit more interest in the subject. For some reason, I’d always assumed that when and if I decided to learn who my birth parents were, that it would be a comparatively simple matter to resolve. Well, like most adoptees, I was in for a big disappointment. In case you haven’t heard (as I hadn’t), most states in the U.S. (including Ohio) have sealed the birth records of adoptees. I was literally in my late 20’s before I realized my birth certificate was unique. In fact, I’d been issued an “amended” birth certificate which had been cleaned of all identifying information pertaining to my birth name and the names of my birth parents. As I dug deeper, I learned that my original, un-amended birth certificate, while on file within the Ohio State Government, was by law, unavailable to me. Needless to say, this was rather frustrating. I next turned to reunion registries at the state, national and international levels. These didn’t help much with the frustration. About this time, I learned of ALMA. While ALMA is sincerely concerned for adoptees, I didn’t make much headway through them or their “angel searchers” (people who assist adoptees with genealogical research for free). Under ALMA’s guidance, I did approach my adoption agency for additional non-identifying information and did learn quite a bit more about my biological family, though, of course the agency wouldn’t break the law and provide sufficient information to complete my search. In the years since, I tried paid searchers, who did little else than take the pay I provided, and several more angel searchers who failed to make any progress.

A few years ago, I decided that there was a root cause that needed resolution. The laws themselves needed to be changed. I was motivated by a number of efforts I found online including Bastard Nation and the American Adoption Congress. These groups seemed to be fighting to change the laws in their own distinctive ways. After spending some time interacting with the people involved in these efforts, I learned that I was only just getting introduced to a fight that has been waging for decades in state legislatures. It is not unusual to find dedicated people who have been attempting to change the laws, not once or twice, but up to six times over 12 years. Most often their efforts end in defeat. A few shining examples of progress can be found in states like Oregon, but the vast majority of the United States have stubbornly and unjustly kept the birth records of adoptees sealed since WWII.

As I learned that adoption law was the domain of states, I ultimately found that Ohio has one of the strangest set of laws enacted with respect to adoptees. Adoptees born before 1964 have unrestricted access to their original birth certificates. Adoptees born after 1996 can access their birth records if the birth parents didn’t file a denial-of-access form with the state. However, adoptees born between 1964 and 1996 are simply denied all access to their records. The ultimate irony of my search was to learn that the man most directly responsible for the sealing of adoptee birth records in Ohio, William B Norris, had actually testified multiple times before the state assembly that his actions were a mistake and that he never intended to deny adoptees access to their own records. Mr. Norris was a young attorney in the early 1960’s who’d adopted children of his own. He was surprised to learn that his childrens’ birth records were publicly available to anyone and so took it upon himself to champion legislation to seal the records. It was only later when his own adopted children sought the truth of their origins that he realized the unintended consequences of his action. To his credit, Mr. Norris fought to change the law many times before his recent death. His daughter Betsie continues the cause in Ohio today. Her latest effort is Adoption Equity Ohio (http://adoptionequityohio.org), which is attempting to open the last of the sealed records. The current hope is that the rules that apply to the post-1996 adoptees can be retroactively applied to the 1964-1996 adoptees who currently have no recourse.

I am now doing what I can to help Adoption Equity Ohio successfully pass a bill into law that will restore for my fellow Ohio adoptees and I the birthright that has been taken from us: access to our original birth certificates.

Won’t you please help? Most of what will be needed will be people willing to contact members of the Ohio State Assembly to let them know that this legislation MUST get passed into law. You can put your values into action by going to the Adoption Equity Ohio website and filling out the volunteer form. Additionally, you can help by spreading the word and pointing your adoptee and Ohioan friends to the site.

This is a challenging effort that will require the support of many people. However, if you will help spread the word and participate, Adoption Equity Ohio can succeed in correcting an injustice that has stood for far too long.

First post

My goal here is to inspire others to action and to do what I can to facilitate a change in Ohio law that will restore the birthright of every Ohio adoptee: unconditional access to their original birth certificates.