Corruption in Adoption

As requested, I checked into possible lawsuits against adoption agencies by birth parents. I only noticed one in the Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. I did notice quite a few by adoptive parents wanting information for their children's health. I also noticed the government stepping in with adoption agencies in Utah. One thing that I did notice is that the United States Government is getting involved in the Hague Convention. International adoption is a fast growing business. It seems to me that adoption should be regulated more forcefully.

From what I understand of the Georgia Tann scandal, the records in Tennessee were sealed because of it. Its almost like the adoptees themselves were to blame for the scandal. I wonder how many of my readers remember Joan Crawford? Well I came across some stuff on her. Everyone has got to remember the Mommie Dearest movie. Lord knows that I do. Well I did find out that Ms Crawford adopted five children. The birth mother of the second child, Christopher came back and got him. Joan had used the Tennessee Children's Home Society to adopt her children. I read also that her two youngest daughters years after she died searched and found their extended families. I don't know if Christina or the second Christopher ever did that.

I have heard many horror stories of the adoption agencies of the past. One friend of mine was placed in a padded room when she asked for her son. Another woman was not given any pain relief and left in a darkened room. Others were given so many drugs to even remember the birth. Others just awakened from the drugs to have papers shoved in their faces.

I have discovered that most people believe that adoptees should be allowed access to their records. Most people assume that we have them. Sorry not true. Many states want to regulate their access to it. They believe that birth parents want to hide from their children. I wish they would talk to US involved in adoption instead of going on the assumptions of a lobbist that supports adoption agencies. The NCFA wants to keep those records sealed because many of their agencies would be sued for the way that they treated birth mothers and birth fathers of the baby scoop era. After reading the MSN and Yahoo Message boards, many assume that the birth mothers of the past and even now are crack whores and such. Step outside your box of security. Look at these women - are they really that? NO they are not. To me that is slanderous to even say that. Most of these women were stuck in a horrible situation where they had no choices. There was no contraception. It was even illegal for men to use condoms back in the sixties. Married women were not even allowed contraception of any kind. The more I think about this topic - why haven't birth mothers of the past sued adoption agencies? I think that would be a good idea. It would force the government to check agencies here and overseas. Women's rights would no longer be violated.

Even as late as this year, adoption agencies in Utah seem to be out of control. They seem to have violated the Indian Child Welfare Act in one case. It was in the Deseret News on October 30, 2006. The birth father was fighting for his rights to his daughter. The Navajo tribe is fighting the ruling against the adoption. The law requires that the child should first be place with the members of the child's family: senond to the other people in the child's tribe and finally with other Indian families. It seems like many steps in this were missed. Its agencies like this one that are out and out for the money. It doesn't matter who they hurt in the process.

I have found countless of stories where adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth parents are left to suffer the consequences of the actions of unscrupulous adoption agencies. I have previously mentioned the Gladney lawsuits that the adoptive parents sued them for information that concerned the well being of their child. I have mentioned the Seymour Kurtz adoption agencies. They offer $10,000 to birth mothers to give up their children. To me that is the buying of children. I came across a lawsuit against the United States government by them. They wanted tax exempt status. What they forgot was that they had made a profit. Mr. Kurtz thinks he is above state laws and federal laws as well.

Another quirky thing that I find interesting about our state governments is that they feel the need to requlate abortion. Even though I am pro-choice in regards to everyone else, I am pro-life when it comes to my own life. I want to be able to control my own decisions over my own body. It is not anyone else's choice. My body, my life, my choice. Teens have to have parental permission to have an abortion. Teens don't have to have parental permission to put a child up for adoption. Minors as young as age 10 in some states can give a child up for adoption. Recently I heard about a study done where parents were actually giving permission for their daughters to have an abortion. So now the states are fighting that one - some states have laws that prosecute anyone (parents included) who helps a woman have an abortion outside their state. From what I hear even the federal government is considering legislation on this. No one seems to have the same problem that I have with this little situation. Its not okay to allow a teenager to make a decision over her own body but it is okay for her to put her child up for adoption. Another thing is funny is that parents are also supporting their child's right to keep and raise their children.