Saturday, October 20, 2007

DEAR TEXAS STATE LEGGIE

My name is Amy Burt. I am writing to you to ask you to intervene on the behalf of Shawn McDonald. He is a father whose rights were horribly violated by both the adoption agency, LDS Social Services and social worker, Eric Larson, involved in his case. He listed himself on the Texas Putative Father registry. He made his intentions to raise his son very very clear. Somehow, the adoption went through. He was not proven an unfit father. He was DNA tested and was proved to be the father. The adoption agency was found in violation of adoption ethics for the state of Texas by Child Protective Services. The social worker was also put onto probation for his part in this wrongful adoption. The Judge, Cheryl Lee Shannon, in his case has still yet to return his son to him. The Judge even ordered the adoption agency to pay $100,000 to this young man to pay for his legal fees. In fact Shawn is being sued by the "adoptive parents" for child support. They rob him of his parental rights and then sue him for child support. This is being done to force him to relinquish his rights. Something is just wrong with this case.

Texas is well known for protecting the rights of its constituents. Why hasn't Shawn had his son returned to him? Why is this adoption agency allowed to continue to operate? Why does the social worker still have his job when he violated the rights of this father? Texas legislators need to step up and help this man regain custody of his child.

These kinds of cases create a need to reform adoption. It is long past the time to allow adoptees access to their records. This would be sadly twenty one years too late. We need to make open adoptions legally binding. We also need to remove the money in adoption. It is allowing unethical practices in adoption to proliferate and expand. The adoption industry has become about their right to profit at the expense of adoptees, natural parents and adoptive parents. You must make this right.

I beg all of you to intervene on the behalf of this young man. He deserves to be a father to his son.

Sincerely,
Amy K. Burt
http://www.amyadoptee.blogspot.com/
http://www.colemanmomsandbabes.blogspot.com/
http://www.originsusa.org/
http://www.bastards.org/
http://www.soulofadoption.com/
http://www.adopteerights.net/

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