Marley Greiner
05-13-2004, 02:23 PM
NCFA Press Release - May 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire Eliminates Confidentiality in Adoption: Mandatory "Open
Records" Law a Harmful Aberration
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, May 12, 2004 - A conflicted New Hampshire
Governor Craig Benson allowed SB335 to become law last night
without his signature. This harmful legislation allows adult
adopted persons unconditional access to identifying birthparent
information, without birthparents' knowledge and against their
wishes, even when they were previously promised confidentiality.
It eliminates confidentiality for all New Hampshire birthparents
- past, present, and future.
"The failure of New Hampshire's legislature and governor to keep
the promises made to birthparents and to preserve and protect
adoption is an egregious violation of trust and common decency,"
said National Council For Adoption (NCFA) President and CEO
Thomas Atwood.
NCFA's statement, "Adoption First Principles," says,
"Birthparents and adult adopted persons who desire to identify
each other and have contact should be able to do so, when both
agree. Otherwise, both should be able to control the release
of their identifying information and whether and when contacts
are to occur." Atwood further observed, "Adoption policy
should not empower one party to adoption to force openness or
contact on another. New Hampshire's new law violates this
basic human right."
Very few states have adopted this one-size-fits-all, mandatory
openness policy. 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. Not one had been approved.
Many adopted persons are curious about their birthparents, but
the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reports sources
indicating that 85 to 99 percent of aodpted persons do not
search. Whether they search or not, they know who their "real"
parents are, the ones who raised them. Only a small, vocal
minority demands the absolute right to force themselves on their
birthparents.
"This policy will cause all sorts of harm," continued Atwood.
"It will violate birthparents' privacy, cause emotional
traumas through increased unilaterally imposed contacts
between adopted persons and birthparents, and deny all women
and teens with crisis pregnancies the perfectly valid option
of confidential adoption." The only private option future
women with crisis pregnancies will be allowed to consider in
New Hampshire is abortion.
Advocates of this legislation deceived some legislators with the
disingenuous argument that adopted persons needed the policy, in
order to obtain medical and health information. The truth is that
New Hampshire law, as is the case in all 50 states, already
provided for them to acquire this information while respecting
birthparent privacy. Moreover, the point is moot, because one can
receive far more complete information about one's genetic
predispositions from a DNA test than from medical histories of
biological parents.
With the enactment of this policy, the state of New Hampshire is
no longer neutral on the issue of reunions. According to Atwood,
"This policy sends the false, demeaning, and corrosive messages
that adopted persons cannot be whole unless they 'reunite' with
their birthparents, and that the adoptive family is inadequate to
provide for the adopted person's psychological well-being. These
messages are simply untrue, and undermine a fundamental principle
of adoption - that, through adoption, the adoptive family becomes
the adopted person's true and permanent family."
For more information, contact:
Lee Allen - Office: (703) 535-1919, Mobile (24/7): 301-693-6513,
FAX: 703-535-1901, Email: lallen@infantadopt.org
Click here to view NCFA's "Adoption First Principles.":
http://m1e.net/c?25937420-bwSqZcmLgpy9.%40526703-vtcEPsq42oWyM
------------------------------------------------------------
About NCFA
Since 1980, NCFA has been a leading voice among national adoption
and child welfare organizations. NCFA is a research, education,
and advocacy nonprofit that provides adoption information,
promotes ethical adoption practices, informs public policy and
opinion about adoption issues, and serves as a resource to women
with unplanned pregnancies, adoptive families, those seeking to
adopt, and adoption professionals.
Click here to visit the NCFA website.:
http://m1e.net/c?25937420-y5ebjbrrmlhro%40526704-tgWvsAviKVUUY
------------------------------------------------------------
You can contact NCFA by mail, phone, fax, and email:
National Council For Adoption
225 N. Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314
703-299-6633 (Phone)
703-299-6004 (fax)
ncfa@adoptioncouncil.org
------------------------------------------------------------
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For Immediate Release
------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire Eliminates Confidentiality in Adoption: Mandatory "Open
Records" Law a Harmful Aberration
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, May 12, 2004 - A conflicted New Hampshire
Governor Craig Benson allowed SB335 to become law last night
without his signature. This harmful legislation allows adult
adopted persons unconditional access to identifying birthparent
information, without birthparents' knowledge and against their
wishes, even when they were previously promised confidentiality.
It eliminates confidentiality for all New Hampshire birthparents
- past, present, and future.
"The failure of New Hampshire's legislature and governor to keep
the promises made to birthparents and to preserve and protect
adoption is an egregious violation of trust and common decency,"
said National Council For Adoption (NCFA) President and CEO
Thomas Atwood.
NCFA's statement, "Adoption First Principles," says,
"Birthparents and adult adopted persons who desire to identify
each other and have contact should be able to do so, when both
agree. Otherwise, both should be able to control the release
of their identifying information and whether and when contacts
are to occur." Atwood further observed, "Adoption policy
should not empower one party to adoption to force openness or
contact on another. New Hampshire's new law violates this
basic human right."
Very few states have adopted this one-size-fits-all, mandatory
openness policy. 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. Not one had been approved.
Many adopted persons are curious about their birthparents, but
the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reports sources
indicating that 85 to 99 percent of aodpted persons do not
search. Whether they search or not, they know who their "real"
parents are, the ones who raised them. Only a small, vocal
minority demands the absolute right to force themselves on their
birthparents.
"This policy will cause all sorts of harm," continued Atwood.
"It will violate birthparents' privacy, cause emotional
traumas through increased unilaterally imposed contacts
between adopted persons and birthparents, and deny all women
and teens with crisis pregnancies the perfectly valid option
of confidential adoption." The only private option future
women with crisis pregnancies will be allowed to consider in
New Hampshire is abortion.
Advocates of this legislation deceived some legislators with the
disingenuous argument that adopted persons needed the policy, in
order to obtain medical and health information. The truth is that
New Hampshire law, as is the case in all 50 states, already
provided for them to acquire this information while respecting
birthparent privacy. Moreover, the point is moot, because one can
receive far more complete information about one's genetic
predispositions from a DNA test than from medical histories of
biological parents.
With the enactment of this policy, the state of New Hampshire is
no longer neutral on the issue of reunions. According to Atwood,
"This policy sends the false, demeaning, and corrosive messages
that adopted persons cannot be whole unless they 'reunite' with
their birthparents, and that the adoptive family is inadequate to
provide for the adopted person's psychological well-being. These
messages are simply untrue, and undermine a fundamental principle
of adoption - that, through adoption, the adoptive family becomes
the adopted person's true and permanent family."
For more information, contact:
Lee Allen - Office: (703) 535-1919, Mobile (24/7): 301-693-6513,
FAX: 703-535-1901, Email: lallen@infantadopt.org
Click here to view NCFA's "Adoption First Principles.":
http://m1e.net/c?25937420-bwSqZcmLgpy9.%40526703-vtcEPsq42oWyM
------------------------------------------------------------
About NCFA
Since 1980, NCFA has been a leading voice among national adoption
and child welfare organizations. NCFA is a research, education,
and advocacy nonprofit that provides adoption information,
promotes ethical adoption practices, informs public policy and
opinion about adoption issues, and serves as a resource to women
with unplanned pregnancies, adoptive families, those seeking to
adopt, and adoption professionals.
Click here to visit the NCFA website.:
http://m1e.net/c?25937420-y5ebjbrrmlhro%40526704-tgWvsAviKVUUY
------------------------------------------------------------
You can contact NCFA by mail, phone, fax, and email:
National Council For Adoption
225 N. Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314
703-299-6633 (Phone)
703-299-6004 (fax)
ncfa@adoptioncouncil.org
------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/change profile:
http://www.mailermailer.com/x?u=25937420r-daf0ec74
To subscribe:
http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=13558r
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