Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Adoptees and Medical History

It is not uncommon these days to pick up a magazine and read about the importance of knowing one's family medical history. Of course I never read anything about all the adopted adults who don't hold a clue about their own. Although I'm a reunited adoptee and know a lot about my own my heart goes out to those who don't.

There are social workers and legislators who think medical history provided by a birth mother at the time of relinquishment is sufficient. They don't seem to care that even just a few days later she might have been diagnosed with a serious illness. I doubt that there are too many of us that can say our health has not changed within the past 18 years.

Of course just what social workers and legislators do get and what they admit to are two different things.

In IL we have a disgraceful state registry and CI program in place so adopted adults should consider themselves equal to queens and kings! Just who all is benefiting from them financially would be quite interesting to know. But in IL corruption walls tend to come apart brick by brick while there are workers replacing them as fast as one falls out.

So the majority of IL adopted adults must continue to get their medical checkups and tell their doctors that their birth mother was in great health years ago. There sure is something wrong with this picture.

The primary election is approachng so maybe it is time to clean house in IL and bring in new legislators!