Adoptees to access identifying information important

Kinship

This week I read "Adoption, Identity, and Kinship: the Debate Over Sealed Birth Records" by Dr. Katrina Wegar, published in 1997. Wegar is an Adult Adoptee born/adopted in Finland. Finland was one of the first countries to allow Adult Adoptees to access identifying information. Wegar's experience as an Adult Adoptee in a country that allows access as well as sociologist who does not see any of the problems in her home country that are alleged by U.S. anti-rights groups as inevitable to occur if American adoptees are allowed access, has urged her to examine the records debate in the U.S.

Her book gives a good overview of history, although there are certain points here and there where other sources I've read would disagree with when and why records were sealed. She provides a glimpse into feminist perspective as well as the perspective of Sociologists and Social Workers. She believes that both Adoptee Rights Activists and anti-rights groups present arguments that further stigmatize adoptees. If you read her book, you may notice that she refers to the Adoptee Rights Movement as "the search movement." It refers to search, in-general, as the search for one's origins. I believe that because so many anti-rights groups use the adoptee stereotype of "searching, finding, and disrupting" in their arguments against "Adoptee Rights" that the term "Adoptee Rights" is more preferable, to me.

Wegar writes on the importance of sharing one's own personal narrative:

"Autobiographical accounts have been instrumental in the mobilization of the search movement, and their human-interest potential and cultural resonance have attracted publicity in the media. By revealing the personal quandaries of adoptees who have been denied the opportunity to search for their biological origins, search activists have presented a picture of American adoption that stands in stark contrast to the positive image traditionally presented by adoption agencies and child welfare organizations. They have also described for the first time the institution of adoption from the viewpoint of the adopted (Wegar, 1997, p. 74).

This quote, for me, is similar in explaining why I write as the "why I write" quote is at the top, right-hand corner of my blog. Adult Adoptees speaking for themselves is very important and so is others lending a listening ear. When I talk Adoptee Rights with other people, I generally explain how records came to be sealed and then explain why it is a problem. It is hard for people who do not know much about adoption, other than stereotypes and usually in a positive sense, to grasp a concept of adoption where people are not happy. It is the adoptee experience to often be scolded for voicing something about adoption that sounds negative as if they're being "negative people." Au contrare, secrecy and inequalityare negative; period.

Photo credit: jscreationzs

ICA seems more favorable than TRA of American children is based on issues of race, class, and gender

Inter-Country Adoption and Adoptive Parent Motives & Preferences

This was the study I had posted about before for those that are interested, I've blogged a little article summary/analysis (more summary than analysis, I am tired today).

The study sought to determine why adopting parents pursuing Transracial Adoption (TRA) might prefer Inter-Country Adoption (ICA) rather than domestic adoption. While ICA rates have increased in the past 20 years, so have the amount of children in the U.S. foster care system. The Authors noted that, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (2007), less than 10% of White women "adopt across racial lines" (Zhang and Lee, 2010, p 2.). When they do adopt across racial lines, they are "five times more likely to adopt children of other [than African American] races" (p. 2). The authors propose that adopting parents preferences are "embedded in an intersection of larger discourses of race, class and gender (referencing Dorow, 2006)" (Zhang & Lee, 2010, p.2).

The literature review of the study I found intriguing. Going over previous literature and studies, the authors of this study hypothesized that the reasons that ICA seems more favorable than TRA of American children is based on issues of race, class, and gender. The reviewed literature covered topics such as the "enduring boundaries (p. 4) between the Black and White communities in the U.S. and the disapproval in the Black community of White individuals adopting Black children as possible contributing factors as to why ICA seems to be more favored among Adoptive Parents. Mentioning that fewer newborn babies are available for adoption in the U.S. the authors referenced other literature and research that addressed Adoptive Parent preferences for age and gender as possible contributing factors as well. Referencing the Census Bureau (2003), the authors stated that adopting women tend to prefer girls and "[m]any babies waiting to be adopted internationally are girls. For example, girls account for 95% of children waiting for adoption in china" (Zhang & Lee, 2010, p. 5). As for adopting parent preferences for children of younger ages:

"Half of all ICAs involve infants less than 1 year old, and 90% of children adopted aged less than 5 years (Fisher, 2003). In contrast, only 6% of children adopted in 2005 in the foster system were less than 1 year old, and less than 30% were younger the age of 5 years (Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, 2007)"
(Zhang and Lee, 2010, p.5, their citations included in the quote).

The authors also noted literature that discussed that ICA may be an easier process, the closed-nature of ICA vs. the increasing trend toward openness in adoption in the U.S., and the fear that the original parents of an adopted child born in the U.S. would change their minds, may contribute to the why adopting parents would choose ICA vs. TRA of a child born in the U.S.

The study consisted of asking in-depth, open-ended questions to 10 families in Ohio over the course of 3 years. 6 families adopted through ICA and four were of TRA through domestic adoption.

The study found some major themes in motivations to adopt were consistent with many of the variables noted in the literature review. Variables such as infertility, wait time, age preference for child, etc.

The authors concluded that TRA domestic adoption was perceived by many who pursued ICA to have more disadvantages. They noted that it seemed as though ICA was viewed in terms of cultural differences that might be fun to learn and incorporate in the family, whereas, TRA domestic adoption was "phrased in terms of social problems such as possible parental drug addiction and adverse neighborhood influences on child development" (Zhang & Lee, 2010, p. 20).

The authors indicated that more research was needing involving a broader, more representative, and more diverse sample of Adoptive Parents.

Reference:

Yuanting, Z., & Lee, G. R. (2011). Intercountry Versus Transracial Adoption: Analysis of Adoptive Parents’ Motivations and Preferences in Adoption. Journal of Family Issues, 32(1), 75-98. doi:10.1177/0192513X10375410

TDA - defending adoption and surrogacy under the concept of feminism ?

Are Adoption and Surrogacy Feminist?

Joy's post over at Joy's Division has me really thinking today. I had commented on Joy's blog that her experience on another blog was the first time I had ever heard of someone defending adoption and surrogacy under the concept of feminism. I'm thinking now that this isn't exactly true, I have, in a way, heard at least adoption defended with allegedly "feministic" arguments. A few months ago I, along with several others, wrote emails and letters to a feminist organization who was opposing Adoptee Rights under the claim that mothers were promised anonymity through the amending and sealing of records. I even tried appealing to one of the organization's representatives in an hour-long conversation over the phone. Their stance was appaulling, not only because they were in opposition to us but because their opposition was based on not being aware of adoption laws and policies and adoption and mother's rights in history. Promised secrecy? It was more like having secrecy forced upon them: adoptees and mothers alike.

Both adoption and surrogacy can involve ethical issues such as the commodification of children and of women's bodies. Many adoption policies and practices in the United States are absolutely antiquated and outdated. Adoption has a horrendously unethical history it has yet to offer an apology for and yet to declare an ethical plan for the present and future. In the United States, we still haven't figured out how to eliminate secrecy from these institutions or be truthful on birth documents, let a lone give these individuals equal access to truth that the rest of society receives about themselves. Women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy may still have trouble finding resources to parent, finding employment and higher education that has hours conducive to the schedules of caregivers, and finding affordable child care; adoption is hailed as the solution to this. Instead of providing women with equality and seeking to address the roadblocks that cause women to have to choose between parenting and poverty, society suggests surrendering to adoption while these societal problems still persist. Still, in this country, the losses of these individual, both the mothers and children, are still some of the most misunderstood, diminished, and dismissed losses...ever.

Because I am an Adult Adoptee and Feminist, it is a stretch for me to perceive how adoption (in this context, infant adoption) and surrogacy are feministic. I suppose people may view it as one woman getting the chance to parent while another woman has the opportunity to make the decision as to whether or not she wants to parent or would like to help someone else become a parent.

But what about the third party? The individual born/adopted, I mean. Is this yet another failure to incorporate everyone whom these institutions impact? I'll say here as I told to the feminist organization that had opposed Adoptee Rights:

"do I really need to remind a feminist organization that supports the rights of women that I AM A WOMAN TOO?"

The label "adoptee" doesn't legally nor socially allow me to grow up past the "child" label; now I'm not allowed to be viewed as a woman either? Adopted women in the United States often do not have access to medical history to make informed health care decisions for themselves and their descendants with their health care practitioners. They are unequal citizens under the law and are denied the Basic Human Right of knowledge of Original Identity and the equal right of access to factual birth documentation. They and their descendants lack geneological continuity and knowledge of their origins and ancestry. They live a different life than 98% of society; experiencing nature and nurture separately (and sometimes not having access to their natural roots at all) and it's an unacknowledged, diminished, and dismissed loss. I am sure the donor conceived individuals who read my blog could chime in. Since I was neither donor conceived nor born by surrogacy; I will not attempt to speak for them.

Read more at the TDA Blog

TDA - Emotions that simply went without labels

Why Didn't You Say Something?

"Why didn't you say something before?" That's the one of the very first questions my Adoptive Mother asked me when I went from being a silent adoptee to a very out-spoken adoptee. Here I was, all of a sudden, correcting the stereotypes, advocating for an adoptee's validity in valuing all of their various family ties (biology, adoptive etc.), wanting OBCs unsealed, supporting others in their reunions, pointing out a broken system, and voicing critiques about adoption in-general.

She was surprised, likely not only because I hadn't been sharing something with her, but also because I am an out-spoken person in-general. Why, in one area of my life, I would be so quiet (which lead people to believe I had no thoughts and feelings on it), when I was so open about everything else? She initially mistook advocacy for unhappiness and felt like she could have done something differently when raising me so that I would have been "happier."

A previous post of mine "Silence = Success?" has me thinking about this topic.

"Why didn't you say something before?"

My initial response? - read the rest at Amanda's Weblog