MustardNation
05-12-2004, 07:32 PM
Hello, all.
It's been such a long time since the Colonel and I last visited, but we had to
come by to share this marvelous story from our side of the multiverse.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Mustard
In the greenhouse
With the gardener
NCFA Press Release - May 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire Eliminates Absurdity in Adoption: Mandatory "Open
Records" Law a Welcome Aberration
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, May 12, 2004 - A courageous New Hampshire
Governor Craig Benson allowed SB335 to become law last night
without his signature. This long overdue legislation allows adult
adopted persons unconditional access to identifying birthparent
information, with or without birthparents' knowledge and against their
wishes, if need be, even though opponents of the law unsuccessfully argued that
they were previously promised confidentiality.
It eliminates secrecy for all New Hampshire birthparents and adoptees
- past, present, and future.
"The New Hampshire legislature's and governor's recognition that no promises
were made to birthparents that the state would preserve and protect
adoption is a long overdue restoration of common decency,"
said National Conspiracy For Adoption (NCFA) President and CEO
Thomas Fathead.
NCFA's statement, "Adoption First, Principles Second," says,
"Birthparents and adult adopted persons who desire to identify
each other and have contact should be able to do so, just as any other
citizens of this country. Neither should be able to control the release
of their identifying information and whether and when contacts
are to occur." Fathead further observed, "Adoption policy
should not disempower any party to adoption, but should treat all involved as
responsible adults. New Hampshire's new law finally recognizes this
basic human right."
Very few states have had the courage to throw out the antiquated laws that
dictate the continued concealment of records readily available to every other
adult in the United States. Prior to New Hampshire's policy reversal, 44
(now 43) states allowed birthparents to control whether their
identifying information would be released. Since 2001, at least
11 other states had considered more than 25 pieces of similar
legislation. None had had the moral courage to enact the proposed return to the
treatment required by the principle of fundamental fairness.
Many adopted persons are curious about their birthparents, but
the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reports sources
indicating that 85 to 99 percent of adopted persons do not
search, largely because of the inherent difficulty of doing so with the limted
and often inaccurate information normally available to them. Whether they
search or not, this law recognizes their inherent right to know of their own
origins. Only a small, vocal and very well funded minority demands the absolute
right to conceal this information.
"This policy will cause all no harm," continued Fathead.
"It will not violate birthparents' privacy, cause emotional
traumas or have any real effect on women and teens with crisis pregnancies."
Opponents of this legislation deceived some legislators with the
disingenuous argument that women who had placed children for adoption had been
promised secrecy by the Stateof New Hampshire in the years since it first
sealed the original birth certificates of adoptees. The truth is that
New Hampshire law, as is the case in all 50 states, had never promised anyone
secrecy. Moreover, they argued, therewas no need for the medical histories of
adoptees biological familes, because one can receive far more complete
information about one's genetic predispositions from a DNA test than from
medical histories of biological parents. Opponents of the law, however, did
not suggest how adoptees might determine which genetic predispositions to
screen for or offer any mechanism to pay for such testing.
With the enactment of this policy, the state of New Hampshire is
no longer neutral on the issue of reunions. According to Fathead,
"This policy ends the false, demeaning, and corrosive messages
that adopted persons cannot be trusted to act as honorably as any other adult
human being or that the adoptive family is unable to survive contact between
the adopted person and his or her biological family members. These
messages are simply untrue, and undermine a fundamental principle
of adoption - that, through adoption, the adopted person becomes no less
important or deserving of our respect as any other man or woman among us."
For more information, contact:
Gee Whiz - Office: (103) 335-2919, Mobile (24/7): 801-093-7513,
FAX: 803-335-0901, Email: GWhiz@insantadopt.org
Click here to view NCFA's "Adoption First, Principles
Second.":http://me.ne/c?2537420-bwSqcmgpy9.%40703-vtcEPsq42oM
It's been such a long time since the Colonel and I last visited, but we had to
come by to share this marvelous story from our side of the multiverse.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Mustard
In the greenhouse
With the gardener
NCFA Press Release - May 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire Eliminates Absurdity in Adoption: Mandatory "Open
Records" Law a Welcome Aberration
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, May 12, 2004 - A courageous New Hampshire
Governor Craig Benson allowed SB335 to become law last night
without his signature. This long overdue legislation allows adult
adopted persons unconditional access to identifying birthparent
information, with or without birthparents' knowledge and against their
wishes, if need be, even though opponents of the law unsuccessfully argued that
they were previously promised confidentiality.
It eliminates secrecy for all New Hampshire birthparents and adoptees
- past, present, and future.
"The New Hampshire legislature's and governor's recognition that no promises
were made to birthparents that the state would preserve and protect
adoption is a long overdue restoration of common decency,"
said National Conspiracy For Adoption (NCFA) President and CEO
Thomas Fathead.
NCFA's statement, "Adoption First, Principles Second," says,
"Birthparents and adult adopted persons who desire to identify
each other and have contact should be able to do so, just as any other
citizens of this country. Neither should be able to control the release
of their identifying information and whether and when contacts
are to occur." Fathead further observed, "Adoption policy
should not disempower any party to adoption, but should treat all involved as
responsible adults. New Hampshire's new law finally recognizes this
basic human right."
Very few states have had the courage to throw out the antiquated laws that
dictate the continued concealment of records readily available to every other
adult in the United States. Prior to New Hampshire's policy reversal, 44
(now 43) states allowed birthparents to control whether their
identifying information would be released. Since 2001, at least
11 other states had considered more than 25 pieces of similar
legislation. None had had the moral courage to enact the proposed return to the
treatment required by the principle of fundamental fairness.
Many adopted persons are curious about their birthparents, but
the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reports sources
indicating that 85 to 99 percent of adopted persons do not
search, largely because of the inherent difficulty of doing so with the limted
and often inaccurate information normally available to them. Whether they
search or not, this law recognizes their inherent right to know of their own
origins. Only a small, vocal and very well funded minority demands the absolute
right to conceal this information.
"This policy will cause all no harm," continued Fathead.
"It will not violate birthparents' privacy, cause emotional
traumas or have any real effect on women and teens with crisis pregnancies."
Opponents of this legislation deceived some legislators with the
disingenuous argument that women who had placed children for adoption had been
promised secrecy by the Stateof New Hampshire in the years since it first
sealed the original birth certificates of adoptees. The truth is that
New Hampshire law, as is the case in all 50 states, had never promised anyone
secrecy. Moreover, they argued, therewas no need for the medical histories of
adoptees biological familes, because one can receive far more complete
information about one's genetic predispositions from a DNA test than from
medical histories of biological parents. Opponents of the law, however, did
not suggest how adoptees might determine which genetic predispositions to
screen for or offer any mechanism to pay for such testing.
With the enactment of this policy, the state of New Hampshire is
no longer neutral on the issue of reunions. According to Fathead,
"This policy ends the false, demeaning, and corrosive messages
that adopted persons cannot be trusted to act as honorably as any other adult
human being or that the adoptive family is unable to survive contact between
the adopted person and his or her biological family members. These
messages are simply untrue, and undermine a fundamental principle
of adoption - that, through adoption, the adopted person becomes no less
important or deserving of our respect as any other man or woman among us."
For more information, contact:
Gee Whiz - Office: (103) 335-2919, Mobile (24/7): 801-093-7513,
FAX: 803-335-0901, Email: GWhiz@insantadopt.org
Click here to view NCFA's "Adoption First, Principles
Second.":http://me.ne/c?2537420-bwSqcmgpy9.%40703-vtcEPsq42oM
