MY FIRST BATTLE - TEXAS, NCFA, GLADNEY ETC.

I spoke with my sister about my brother-in-law's extended family. I found out that his bmom wanted to hold him. His a family was terrified that she would change her mind. They basically sneaked my brother-in-law out of the hospital. His mother kept going to see her son. Pretty sad if you ask me but it is his family. I am proud of his bmother for stepping up as she has. They will have contact with her this summer. I hope to be able to attend that reunion and give her a huge hug.

Gotta love Texas politics! I have to admit that we have the best political hyterics. Before the recent passage of HB240, Texas Adoption law permitted adoption agencies to begin a volunteer passive registry. There are many good adoption agencies that volunteered that. Gladney was not one of them. They also fought laws allowing non-identifying information. I have visited their website and they charge $50 for that release of information. In fact, I just found out that they were actually sued for the information concerning a child's background. It was the Williams' family and their daughter Tamarrah. They contacted the agency approximately five times begging and pleading for information concerning their daughter's birthfamily. They contacted them in 1986, 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2000. The Gladney Adoption Center only trickled the information down. There is another family that also sued them but that information was sealed. It can not be released. The doctors and psychiatrists treating their daughter requested the information constantly but to no avail. They finally sued Gladney. The judge in that case ordered 800 pages of information to be released. Gladney states that the family was unable to prove a correlation between their daughter's health problems and the need for information from her birthparents. The judge was also deciding whether or not this was to be a class action lawsuit in 2003.

It is also my understanding that Gladney and its partner in crime, the NCFA, fought the laws that released non-identifying information. Back in 1997, there was a grass roots organization that pushed for a bill to allow adoptees access to their original birth certificates. It is called TxCare. The bills titles, S.B. 1445 and HB 1835, were such bills in the state of Texas. I have a few letters from people involved in the adoption triad. They all state that they are for giving adoptees their records. Many adoption agencies that advocate honesty and truth in adoption support these very same records. The then Governor Bush vetoed these bills. The Bushes are closely tied to Gladney. Several of them are honorary members on their boards. Barbara Bush supports open records. George Bush and his brother Jeb were adamently opposed to open records. One legislator actually stepped up and talked about how a "friend" of his would commit suicide by driving her car in the river. So one emotionally unstable woman made this law obsolete. If she even exists!!!! George Bush's reasoning behind his veto was that future Texas would be whisked away to other states. Recently Rick Perry signed a bill (HB240) into law allowing adoptees that already know their birthparents names could have a uncertified copy of their original birth certificate. This still creates a separate tier of adoptees. Those in the know and those that are not. Just like the prospective laws do. One thing must be understood by all in this battle: Adoptees deserve their original birth certificates. It does not belong to the state of Texas nor does it belong to the birthparents or the adoptive parents. It belongs to the people whose birth it records. There cannot be any compromise on this issue. There can not be any law even considering confidential intermediaries, contact vetos, or passive registries.

The National Council of Adoption is a very corrupt group indeed. They commonly use the excuse "confidentiality was promised" to Whom? Confidentiality was not promised. It could not be guaranteed. There are ways to get around it. There is the HIPAA that says that patients basically own their health records. I own my records in the U.S. Army. I own my records from when I was a child and as a baby. There are many birth indices and death indices that an adoptee can search now. The other rule of thumb here is that most birthparents did not want confidentiality from their children but did want it from public inspection. Women who have abortions are given privacy because abortion is a medical procedure. Labor and delivery are also a medical procedure but it results in another living being with equal rights and protection under the law. NCFA was founded by Texas oil money in 1980 mainly by Gladney for the sole purpose of keeping records sealed after President Carter initiated a national reunion registry. The Heritage Foundation also supports this group. This group promotes basically stealing babies from poor women. Making it harder for birthparents to fight back or retain their rights. They also promote drug testing pregnant women who come to clinics. Another way to keep the baby if you ask me. Smithlawn was another big player in this group but have come upon hard times due to conviction under RICO charges. Other than Gladney contributing to this group is the LDS Social Services and Bethany Christian Services. It is also my understanding that Bethany is one of the largest agencies in the country. OH GOODIE another one to attack.

The confidential intermediary system is another program that does not work. I was forced to use that program. I had to pay $325 for mine to contact my birthmother. Gee Whiz I am an adult and she is an adult. This is also a private issue that should only be discussed between us, the adults. I know that Catrina didn't like being stuck between the two of us. She did do a good job. I am grateful to her. I am lucky with her that she provided the best information without revealing identity. The bad thing is that my bmom is upset still by those circumstances that created me. So my birthfather's information cannot be released to me. She owns the information about me. I am even willing to leave her alone just to get that information but I do want my brothers told about me before her death.

A contact veto is also unacceptable because again you are taking away the rights of the owner of the birthcertificate. I also feel that birthparents owe their children one phone call. They owe their children the answers to their questions. There are questions that only an adoptee can think of and ask their birthparents that a contact veto and a CI can't answer.

My mission now is to open birth certificates all over Texas. I am going to be writing state legislators letting them know that these types of laws are unconstitutional. I find them morally, ethically, emotionally, and intellectually appalling. So what are you going to do?