Tuesday, February 13, 2007

DEAR STATE REPRESENTATIVE

My name is Amy K. Burt. Today I am furious. I feel like I have been robbed. I paid a confidential intermediary with Catholic Charities $325.00. I found out that birth parents are now being charged $200.00 bucks as well. I have found out recently that there has been times where the adoptee or the birth parent has not received any information/contact but paid for information and contact with their family members. There is no regulation concerning this. The information that I have gotten is the same information that I received in 1997. There is no way to verify this information as factual. I expect you the state legislator to do something about this. I know that I will be contacting an attorney. I know that I can get enough birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents including my own to form a class action lawsuit against the state and all the adoption agencies in the state of Indiana.

I found out that more than likely that my own birthmother was probably starved in the maternity home that she stayed in. I spoke with numerous mothers from Indiana and across this country that lost weight in those homes. They were not even allowed to attend church. They were not given any kind of counseling. They were not allowed snacks of any kind. The adoption agencies and their attorneys told these women to go on with their lives and to forget. Well they could not forget. My own mother could not forget even though she can't get over the fear and shame that home put her through. I want some accountability. I think she would mortified and angry if she knew what was in those records. They made her out to be horrible woman. I do not know for sure that she was even contacted. There is no proof at all. I have to take the agency's word for it. The adoption agencies and their maternity homes are KNOWN for the lies that they have put into those records. Now they want the state to take responsibility for their actions. My adoption agency was known to change the names that the mothers had given their children. They were not allowed to even hold their babies. They were discouraged from naming their children. Do you the state legislator want to be held accountable for their actions? Do you want to be held accountable for the abuse that these agencies have done to women and their children? I know that someone should be held accountable for their actions.

I am tired of being lied to. I am tired of being patted on the head by those who think that we as a group should be grateful. I am tired of being used to hide the secrets of these agencies. I want you to represent me and the thousands of other adoptees, birth parents, and adoptees.

Sincerely,
Amy K. Burt


Here are all the links that I mentioned in my letter:
The Petitions:
http://www.petitiononline.com/forbmoms/petition.html
http://www.geocities.com/moreopenrecords/
http://www.petition.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nyarpt1
Studies and Research:
http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/research/2006_11_birthparent_wellbeing.php
http://www.txcare.org/surveyab/stats/adoptionrecord_ssl.html
Surgeon General Family History Project
Http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/
National Association of Social Workers
http://www.socialworkers.org/research/naswResearch/adoption/default.asp
Court Cases from Tennessee and Oregon
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/tennessee.htm
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/oregon.htm
Adoptee, Birth Parent, and Adoptive Parent Supporters
http://adopta2ya.com/
http://www.bastardnation.org
http://darkwing.uregon.edu/~adoption/
Http://www.cwla.org
http://www.chosen-babies.com
http://concernedunitedbirthparents.org
http://www.originsusa.com/
http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org
http://www.nacac.org
Statistical information from Oregon and New Hampshire
http://www.sos.nh.gov/vitalrecords/Preadoption%20birth%20records.html
http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/chs/order/58update.shtml
(This site also has information on the effects of the law on adoption which by the way has increase almost every year since its implementation)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said.

Addie Pray said...

You did say it well.

L said...

Hi Amy-
I am also an adoptee from Indiana.
That is horrible about the maternity home and their practices.
Have you sent this letter?
It might help to include some back ground information in your letter to you representative and your copies of the information you have in regard to this.
You have to hit them with facts to get them to listen.
You should also give more details about your CI, what exactly they did or didn't do for you and copies of any information they actually did provide.
It is a great letter.
Good luck.