ADULT Adoptees Have a Right to Their OBC

Our Santa letter writing campaign has received more media coverage. That is good because our goal was to raise public awareness and we are doing just that. However it sounds like I told a reporter with the State Journal-Register that we don't believe in adoptees having to be 21 to receive access to their OBC. I have left a comment on their website and will contact the reporter since this does need to be clarified. Misunderstandings do happen but the important thing is to clear them up.

Among the comments to this article at the State Journal-Register website is support for intermediaries. Some people are not aware of how bad the IL CI Program is but check out BastardGrannyAnnie and http://73adoptee.blogspot.com. These are not isolated cases but not everyone blogs.

Over the years I have conversed with many birth mothers who were never promised confidentiality. My personal feeling is that social workers started this old lie and perhaps adoption attorneys joined in. The majority of the birth mothers that I have been in contact with do want to be found. They would love for their offspring to have a copy of their OBC. It would not automatically lead them to their doorstep. It would restore a civil right to their offspring and if they so wished to search for them, it could make it easier to find them. From a young age I knew my birth mother's name because it was on the adoption decree that my mother let me look at. Later when I became older, she gave it to me. BUT it was a VERY common name and I was born in a very large city. A current address for a mother is not stated on an OBC. Some marry and some more than once. Some pass away.

It will soon be 13 years since my search was completed, my birth and adoptive parents are deceased but yet I am denied a copy of my OBC and all adoption records, other than the decree that my mother gave me. I've been reunited with siblings and other birth relatives. I would love for a legislator to justify as to why I am denied my OBC.

But the bottom line is that the necessity for having a clean bill sponsored by a legislator is that if it would become law, a civil right would be restored to ADULT adoptees. The bill might not pass the House or Senate the first time but a legislator can continue to sponsor a clean bill until it does become law.

HOW I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SHOVED PAST HIM!

On Monday, December 29th we arrived in Springfield, IL early enough to have lunch before going to Vital Records to deliver the letters written to Santa. Lunch at a Bennigan's might have resulted in luck of the Irish! We pulled into the parking lot for the building where Vital Records is housed about 20 minutes prior to the scheduled time. My sister spotted a WICS TV van parked nearby so it was decided that the driver should be approached to see if he was there to cover the delivery of the letters. He was and asked if he could interview me while we were waiting until 1:00 to arrive.

I felt that the interview went well. The reporter did ask me a lot of questions. I did stress that adoptees have been robbed of a civil right to not be able to legally obtain a copy of their OBC and that there are birth parents and adoptive parents who agree. Obtaining one's OBC does not automatically lead them to their birth mother's doorstep. I told him about the old story about birth mothers not wanting to be found but the majority do want to be. I stressed that the fight for open records is not about search and reunion. It is about the civil right that should be restored to adult adoptees. It is about the dignity that has been taken from them. The reporter did ask why we don't feel that the IL adoption registry and CI Program are efficient. They are not a replacement and we need an open records law with no conditions.

When it came time to enter the building that houses the Vital Records department, I found that I had to tell a lady behind a window as to why I was there. She knew why but we had called ahead in order to have permission for the media to film the event. She asked that I step around to a locked door. A man met me at the door and took the bag of letters. I later wondered why he could not have stepped out into the outer entry area. Was he just not interested in talking to me, was he camera shy, or did he fear that if I got started talking, I might go on forever about OBC's being sealed? I do realize that in this day and age there are many locked doors because there is fear about what might happen otherwise. I sure would have loved to have shoved past this man and grabbed all the OBC's! But we all knew that I would not walk away from Vital Records with them in my hand. I was kind and gave the man a candy cane along with my personal card that does clearly state, "All adoptees should have their OBC, restore their civil rights".

Those who saw me out in the parking lot being interviewed by the TV news reporter had to have wondered what was going on. How many times four days after Christmas do you see an elf with a large gift bag in their hand being interviewed outside the Vital Records office. The wind caused the bell on my hat to just keep jingling! The look that one lady gave me made me wonder if she might have muttered all the way home! I was more of a site as I opened the door to the building because my elf hat blew off. I managed to catch it but did not try to put it back on while being filmed.

The news reporter said that WICS would cover the story and thought that FOX would too. My cable does not cover WICS and I missed seeing it on FOX since the reporter did tell me an earlier time than when it was aired. But after making some phone calls today I did learn that I can order a DVD so an order for one is going out in tomorrow's mail.

We had hoped to raise public awareness that adult adoptees can not legally obtain a copy of their OBC. I feel that we did succeed with that and the more who become aware of it, the better. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who wrote letters. Each and every one did count! There were a total of 82 letters delivered. They were from people who live in 15 different states plus Canada.

We must continue to raise public awareness and come out in numbers until OBC's are legally obtainable everywhere!

Letters Requesting OBC's to be Delivered

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer did upgrade to a GPS device. But it did malfunction during the ice storm and frigid temps in the Midwest to prevent delivering the letters to Vital Records prior to Christmas. However we have already had enough ice to make for an entire normal winter. My feeling is that Rudolph will continue to let his nose guide he and the other reindeer. I heard that was what he did on Christmas Eve. Rudolph has guided the reindeer and Santa back to the North Pole and all of them are resting up from an exhausting trip all over the world.

Illinois governments are trying to conserve expensive road salt but higher temps (probably asked for by Santa) have melted enough ice to make a trip by car to Springfield.

We will deliver the letters to Vital Records at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 29th.

I will post how the event goes and we will hope for publicity to raise public awareness that IL adult adoptees are legally denied a copy of their OBC.

VISIT TO IL VITAL RECORDS POSTPONED

Thank you to everyone who wrote letters to Santa requesting your OBC or for another's OBC! If you have not written yet, please do so TODAY and email it to me - mlf@ilopen.org. Please don't say that others are writing and one more letter won't make a difference. The more letters, the better. I currently have 77 letters, a nice number but more would be better.

Unfortunately the trip to Vital Records had to be postponed due to an ice storm that moved quickly into this area. Bitter cold and high winds followed so traveling about 90 miles one way to Springfield was out of the question. We need some at least partially sunny days and warmer temps to clear the roads. Vital Records will be closed Dec. 25-28. But hopefully it will not be long after Christmas when Santa's elves take the bag of letters to Vital Records.

Thank you for your patience while the ice melts! If you have lots of sun and warmer temps than we have here in the Midwest, please send some our way!!

The U.S. Census Bureau at An Adoptee's Service

Today while reading a genealogical column in our local newspaper I was happy in a way to see that The U.S. Census Bureau can be of help with passport applications (www.census.gov/genealogy/www/agesearch.html). The website does not say that adoptees are exempt. So I saw red to think that adoptees with delayed birth records can now pay $65 to prove a birth and a family relationship. It is just another way to cash in on adoptees who are still legally denied a copy of their OBC.

For years now some adoptees have had problems with obtaining a passport. When an amended certificate, the only one that many adoptees have is dated several days or maybe months after their birthdate, government officials question if it is authentic. So the issuance of a passport is denied. The date on my own amended birth record was definitely falsified since my adoptive parents did not know about my birth until I was three weeks old. But there are no questions asked by any government agency because the dates match. I'm not complaining but it goes to show that a falsfied legal document can fly while one that has not been tampered with might not.

Adoptees being denied passports have been one argument for open records. Is The U.S. Census Bureau stepping up to help legislators who oppose open records? Or has The U.S. Census Bureau stepped up to cash in like others have from records being closed in the majority of the states? There could be non-adopted U.S. citizens in need of this new service.

But I say it is far better to restore the civil right taken from adoptees. During these bad economical times why not let them obtain a copy of their OBC for the same amount as others pay for an OBC? I bet it would not cost $65 in any one of the states. I have to wonder too if a question will come up about an adoptee's age on their drivers' license or state ID matching that with what The U.S. Census Bureau finds on the census. Census errors are rather common and we must remember that not all adoptees join their adoptive families immediately after birth.

Will we learn at some point that this new service can't help all adoptees? It could become a gamble as to if it will or not while a government agency is still profiting.

HO HO HO

Santa wants the letters received by December 5th. If bad weather would set in and icicles form on Rudolph's nose, it can take longer to travel.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Santa cannot bring anyone their OBC for Christmas but Santa CAN do something very useful to further adoptees' struggle to obtain the same rights as other state residents. By writing a "letter to Santa", you can also help to raise awareness of the inequities of Illinois law. If you are an adoptee, write a letter to Santa that requests your OBC for Christmas. If you are the parent, sibling (or other relative) or friend of an adoptee, write your letter to Santa requesting that he bring the adoptee his OBC for Christmas. Since we are constantly hit over the head with birth parent privacy as the reason adoptees cannot access their OBC, if you are among those who surrendered a child to adoption, you can help by adding that you never wanted to be anonymous to your own child. There are genealogists who have found adoptees on their family tree and they should write letters also. We welcome others willing to help with our cause. Keep your letters brief and to the point. Don't introduce information that muddies the water. Contents of a few of these letters will be shared with the media (with identifying information removed, of course). The letters will be delivered by Santa or one of his elves to the Department of Vital Records with appropriate news coverage to increase public awareness of this issue.

Please send letters to:

Santa
c/o Mary Lynn Fuller
109 W. Illinois St., Apt. 506
Urbana, IL 61801

Write today! Thank you and a blessed holiday season to all!

ONCE AGAIN ADULT ADOPTEES ARE FORGOTTEN ABOUT

The following proclamation by President Bush makes me angry:

Proclamation by the President: National Adoption Month, 2008
Contact: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580
WASHINGTON, October 31 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is a proclamation by President Bush:
During National Adoption Month, we recognize the compassion of adoptive and foster families as we seek to raise awareness of the need for every child in America to have a safe, loving, and permanent home.
Adopting a child is a great joy and also a great responsibility. Parents are a child's first teachers, and adoptive families can help children learn character and values, the importance of giving back to their community and country, and the courage to realize their potential. On November 15, caring parents across our Nation will celebrate National Adoption Day by finalizing their adoptions and bringing home children in need of a hopeful life.
My Administration is committed to helping young people find the love, stability, and support that a family can provide. We have joined with community and faith-based organizations to raise public awareness of foster children awaiting adoption. With the help of the Congress, we are assisting families in overcoming the financial barriers to adopting children through programs such as the Adoption Incentives Program. In addition, the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids project, which can be found at adoptuskids.org, provides guidance and resources for parents exploring adoption.
During National Adoption Month, we honor adoptive and foster parents who have shown America the depth and kindness of the human heart. Their love and dedication inspire the next generation of Americans to achieve their dreams and demonstrate the true spirit of our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2008 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

GEORGE W. BUSH

How can it be right to have a National Adoption Month to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children with no mention of adult adoptees. Was it an oversight? I highly doubt it because adult adoptees are always being forgotten about.

Adult adoptees in the closed records states continue to fight to have their civil right restored to be able to receive their OBC upon request. But does the adoption reform movement get much publicity - NO. Now our President is ignoring adult adoptees as if they don't exist. I wonder what he thinks happens to these children who are placed in adoptive homes. Well HELLO they do grow up to become adults just like other children. Just placing them in a home is not the end of the life long process of adoption.