GRASSROOTS
POLITICS PAYS OFF IN MASSACHUSETTS
On October
27th, SB 959 was heard before th e Joint Committee on
Families and
Children. SB 959 is a clean, straightforward unconditional open
records bill
which needs to be passed. The committee members heard from grassroots
organizations ABC and M.A.R.T.A , whose members turned out in droves to
help
pass this bill. Also testifying were: New Hampshire State Senator Lou
D’Allesandro; New Hamshire State Representative Janet Allen, Adam
Pertam of the
Evan B. Donaldson Institute, Paul Schibbelhute from the AAC, and Marley
Greiner
representing Bastard Nation. Other BN
members in attendance were Fred Rust, MA, Carla McBrine, MA, and Nina
Greeley,
CA. Lee Allen of the NCFA was the only
voice of dissent; the audience and the committee viewed his
presentation as
quite feeble. A vote on the bill will be taken in about two weeks. Next
stop –
SB 959 will go to both ho uses.
ONTARIO PASSES
BILL 183
Ontario’s
BILL 183 purports to be “an adoption disclosure bill” but it’s nothing
of the
sort. Bill 183 contains a contact
veto with a $50,000 penalty for violation. It also contains a disclosure
veto. Any birthmothers or adoptees may go before a government panel
and
plead their cases for non-disclosure. If the panel agrees, those
original birth
certificate will not be issued. Bastard
Nation vehemently opposes Bill 183.
ANGEL IN
ADOPTION
The
Honorable Lou D’Allessandro, State Senator, New Hampshire has been
named an
"Angel in Adoption” f or 2005. It was through his endless energy,
perseverance, and influence that the open records bill was passed in
New
Hampshire. Senator D’Allessandro’s
simple but eloquent statement now reverberates in state houses all over
the
land. "It’s the right thing to do."
RHODE ISLAND SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN ADOPTEE
An unusual
claim for opening records was heard by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. An adoptee claimed that he needed to have
his original birth records in order to fulfill his Mormon Church’s
teachings to
be bonded to his birth family after death. The Rhode Island Supreme
Court rul
ed against the adoptee.
FAMILY HISTORY DAY
On November
8th the Surgeon General will launch a national initiative to encourage
all
American families to learn more about their family health histories. He will announce that Thanksgiving Day will
be declared Family History Day. He intends to make this an annual event.
NOVEMBER 19TH,
NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY
15 YEAR OLD FINDS SPERM-DONOR FATHER
USING INTERNET
Bob Alberti
comments on this exceptional young man who set
out to find his sperm-donor dad.
http://albatross.org/journal/archives/001048.html#more
CANADIAN BIRTH MOTHER
STRIKES BACK
Lisa
Sainsbury, of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, has jumped down the
throats of those who are perpetuating the adoptee bashing. She’s a
birth mother and member of Bastard Nation and we couldn’t be more proud
of her! In her latest letter, published on September 19th in the
Toronto Sun, Lisa refutes their editorial, “We knew it was too good
last.”
“As a mother who relinquished a child in 1962, I believe adopted people
have the absolute right to all existing information about their
origins, right down to the last detail. It's their information, not the
birth mother's nor the state's. Non-adopted people don't have to
question this right. Why, under any circumstances, should adopted
people? It's nonsense for them to be denied rights that are the
prerogative of others -- unless of course, one believes that there are
two classes of citizen.
Vetoes and fines have no place in a citizen's right to their own
history and information. "Privacy rights" for birth mothers is a
misnomer. What Anne Cavoukian really wants is the option for such women
to remain anonymous. Anonymity is not privacy.
"Retroactivity" is another misnomer. There never were any "deals" for
birthparents that could guarantee anonymity into perpetuity.
Consequently, they can hardly be made retroactive. Perhaps there was a
perception that such guarantees were given, but it's a wrong
perception. How could it be otherwise when the parties that supposedly
made these promises never had the authority to do so? That such deals
were made is hearsay only, emanating from sources that may or may not
exist. Now that really is Kafkaesque.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
New Hampshire State Senator Lou D’Allesandro, referring to New
Hampshire’s Open Records Bill.
"You've [adoptees and birth parents] got a right to know but
you don't have the right to a relationship."
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who supports the Bill 183.
"Like some ghastly monster from the deep you thought had been
harpooned, gutted and left on the dock to dry, the adoption disclosure
bill ha chs resurfaced, fangs bared, ready to claw some unsuspecting
souls."
Christina Blizzard in an Op/Ed article in the Toronto Sun on Sept.
14th, "Opening Old Wounds."
“ Rights are commonsense one-size-fits-all policy and
protection for all citizens without exception. Rights are not a favor
or a privilege to be doled out on the whim of bureaucrats and special
interests. In a democratic society, rights do not discriminate against
race, religion, ethnicity, age or gender.”
Marley Greiner, Chair, Bastard Nation. Testimony: Massachusetts Joint
Committee on Child ren and Families, SB 259. Oct. 27, 2005,
“What’s the big deal?”
Adam Pertman at press conference preceding the The Massachusetts Joint
Committee on Children and Families Hearing on SB 959. Oct.27, 2005
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BASTARD NATION COOKBOOK
Bastard
National Marla Paul, Editor of the BQ, is busy in the kitchen p utting
together
a Cookbook, The Adopted Child’s Syndrome Family Cookbook: Ordinary
Meals for
Extraordinary Families. It is being sold as a fundraiser for
Bastard
Nation’s “Who’s Next Fund. You’ll want to own this cookbook –it’s a one
of its
kind. You’ll be laughing and cooking at the same time. Just in time for
Christmas!
htttp://www.bastards.org/
bookstore/cookbook.html
Where The Action Is:
Pennsylvania
Maine
New York
New Jersey
Stay tuned for updates and
action alerts!
GET INVOLVED:
MASSACHUSETTS: MARTA
Nevada Open Website
OORAH - Oklahoma Open
Records
Arizona Open
Missouri Open
Florida
Records Equality Effort
Arkansas
Open Needs Volunteers for Future Efforts!
Virginians
for Adoption Reform and Education
Louisiana Adoption
Advocates
INTERNET: THE DAILY BASTARDETTE
http:www.bastards.blogspot.com
Bookmark
this website. You won’t want to miss a word. It features daily
commentary by BASTARDETTE on issues of identity and adoptee rights,
baby dumps, atrocities in the adoption industry, its paid lobbyists,
and “deformer friends.” BASTARDETTE goes after anything and anyone who
furthers the adoptee Culture of Shame.
BOOKS:
PREGNANCY AND POWER
Rickie Solinger, author of Wake
Up Little Susie and Beggars and Choosers, has just published a new
book, Pregnancy and Power. This latest book is a history of
reproductive justice in this country. Ms. Solinger’s books are
extremely well researched and at the same time they remain extremely
“readable.”
Pregnancy
and Power
MOVIES: LOGGERHEADS
Everyone’s
talking about Loggerheads, the new movie opening around the US this
month. The film was inspired by a true story - “One son. Two mothers.
Three endangered lives.” Loggerheads has won many awards as Best
Feature Film – watch for it in your city.
www.loggerheadsmovie.com
Also on film:
FILM TELLS STORY
OF OREGON'S MEASURE 58
Measurable Rights: The Fight
for Open Records in Oregon, is a film that tells how Helen Hill
and Bastard Nation used Oregon's Ballot Measure 58 to open sealed birth
certificates for all of Oregon's adult adoptees. Filmmaker Paul
Fournier captures the
very essence of grassroots activism as he follows Helen and Bastard
Nation from the initiative's inception to it's ultimate victory in the
courts. "Measurable Rights "is inspiring and an essential teaching
tool for all adoptee rights activists!
www.measurablerights.com
Unlocking the Heart of Adoption
is a compelling film created by birthmother and Bastard Nation member
Sheila Ganz, which has been selected for airing on public television.
Visit the film's website to learn more about the film and how you can
pitch in to help bring this important documentary onto the nation's
airwaves.
http://www.unlockingtheheart.com/
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