Take Me Out to The Ballgame

Our infamous IL State Representative Sara Feigenholtz never bothered to respond to many concerns about HB 4623. But yet she/her staff spammed many who never received a reply - to invite them to a Chicago Cubs game. It seems to me that e-mail addresses were collected with the intent that she might gain more contributors. It certainly does not seem that someone is the brightest crayon in the box, does it? I've heard the excuse that it was a technical problem. Sorry, I've been using a computer and been subscribed to Internet mailing lists for too many years to believe it. What I truely believe is that Feigenholtz "Feign" could care less what triad members have to say against HB 4623. She only cares about those who are profiting from the CI Program so wants to keep it intact. She only cares about those who have something to hide so are opposed to a true open records bill in Illinois. Her website URL was misspelled but "Feign" does describe her well.

My personal reply to "Feign":

"You don't seem to be at all interested in replying to those among the adoption community about their concerns with HB 4623 as it was originally written. But yet you have extended an invitation to some of these same people to attend a Cubs game with you. You are unbelievable and not a person that I would even cross the street with, let alone attend a Cubs game with."

Go Cubs and bat "Feign" right out of Wrigley Field and into a different occupation. She is a disgrace to the IL House of Representatives.

A Confidential Intermediary?

As some legislators in IL uphold the Confidential Intermediary (CI) program I often mutter to myself as to how much help they would have been to me. A kind sympathetic judge opened my court file to me during the early years of my search because my M.D. felt it might help to learn my origins. There was no more information in it than what was on my adoption decree. So I know for a fact that my court records would not have led a CI to my birth mother. My birth mother's given name and surname is so common and her middle initial was not on the adoption decree. Maybe Catholic Charities would have given a CI my birth mother's birthdate but I suspect they would not have. I can't imagine Catholic Charities' social workers being too cooperative about providing identifying information to a CI. I suspect a CI would have taken money from me and then said, "sorry, your birth mother's name is just so common that it is impossible to complete your search". I recall too well how a professional searcher who I consulted finding it hilarious that I would pursue a search for a woman with such a common name and not even knowing her middle initial. A CI might not have laughed but completing my search, I highly doubt it. It was a search that required alot of digging, grasping, and going with my gut feeling. A CI would not have done that.

I feel blessed that I never went through the IL CI program. The stories that I've heard about them are not good. They seem to have no regard for the feelings of the adoptee. They don't represent the adoptee in a capable manner.

One has to wonder too how many birth mothers who refused contact might not have if it had been their son or daughter contacting them instead of a cold CI. Some birth mothers need some time to adjust to the shock of being found and some need time to think about how they will tell family members about their long kept secret. For an adoptee to contact their birth mother an agreement can be reached that the birth mother will return their call at a later time but the door is not shut forever like it can be with a CI calling the birth mother. But I have found that the majority of birth mothers do want to be found. They want records opened so their offspring can find them. Some have been looking to no avail but then an adoptee's entire name is often changed by the adoptive parents.

So let's do away with the IL CI program - it is past time for records to be opened in IL.

Confidentiality allows people to play God

Lawyers and agencies have dominated adoption for a good many years now in the majority of the states. Was it started to protect adoptees from the stigma of illegitimacy? If so, their efforts have failed because many adoptees will always be referred to as illegitimate. Of course, we are not to know that our original birth certificates (OBC) refer to us as being illegimate. The majority of the states don't allow adoptees to have their OBC.

Did lawyers and agencies decide to dominate adoption to hide the stigma of birth mothers? Sealed records would guarantee her privacy. Did the lawyers and agencies really care enough about the birth mothers to feel that they needed to be protected by confidentiality or did the lawyers and agencies want to be protected?

Dominating adoption gives lawyers and agencies control over the lives of others. It gives them the power to play God.

No one should be allowed to play God. It is past time for legislators in those states with sealed records yet to change the adoption law so adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents are treated like adults and are in control of their own lives.

Open Letter to Co-sponsors of HB 4623

I'm pleading with you to reconsider your sponsorship. It does nothing but keep the Adoption Registry and CI Program intact. The Registry is not effective and most likely never will be since registries have proven to not be effective in any state. The CI Program leads to heartache - please see http://73adoptee.blogspot.com and www.grannieannie.org. Believe me there are similar experiences by others but not everyone is a blogger.

For many years I was active with helping others search and learned that the majority of birth mothers do want to be found. They were not promised confidentiality - this is a lie that was made up years ago by probably social workers or adoption attorneys. The majority of adoptive parents support their adult child searching. Often there is a need for medical history and they are aware of the void felt by their adult child. Finding birth family is not going to break a strong bond formed between adoptive parents and adoptees.

Rep. Feigenholtz's bill is lengthy and I fear has not been thoroughly read by all legislators. The public was denied access to the bill until a few hours before it was voted favorable out of committee on March 13. I suspect that she is now making amendments and is going to try to sneak this bill through the House and it just must not happen.

There are other states with open records and it is past time for Illinois to follow suit. Please don't be mislead thinking that the Adoption Registry and CI Program do open records. Open records is where ALL adult adoptees have the right to request their original birth certificate. To hold that document in one's hand does not lead them to their birth mother's doorstep. It does aid in searching for her. If she happens to be one of the few who prefer to not be found, she can tell her offspring just that. I've known that to happen and the adoptee has respected their birth mother's wishes.

Thank you for all consideration shown!

Sincerely,
Mary Lynn Fuller
Urbana, IL

AL CAPONE'S GHOST?

As more sponsors for IL HB 4623 are added and we see more extensions just what is going on? There has been yet another extension to May 31. I pray that some of the State Representatives that many of us have written to have listened to the point that they might be telling Sara that the bill is horrible.

Rep. Feigenholtz has been sneaky from day one it seems. Sara seems to talk good for some to believe that the IL Adoption Registry and CI Program should remain intact. Is she making a profit from the Registry and CI Program or is one or more of the contributors to her political career making the profit?

Sometimes I wonder if Al Capone's ghost might be at work in Springfield. Then I think, gosh but he was nice to some people. But then if HB 4623 would become law, the adoptees born prior to 1/1/46 could request their original birth certificate and receive it. So I don't know but put a bonnet on him and a cigarette in his mouth and he could pass for a female.

Correction to Illinois Legislative Alert

The date should be March 23, two days away. It is urgent that people contact their State Representatives. We must not give up and give Sara and Melisha their way with continuing to rob adoptees of their human rights. It is only right that ALL adoptees have the right to request their original birth certificate.

ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE ALERT

It is urgent that people contact IL State Representatives today regarding HB 4623. There has been an extension until March 23, three days before the House session is over. This is a lengthy adoption bill that Rep. Feigenholtz is trying to sneak through. The bill is detrimental to adoption reform in that it does not treat all adoptees fairly. It has a provision where original birth certificates could be altered. The Adoption Registry and Confidential Intermediary Program would remain intact and they are not a substitute for equal rights of human beings. Even those who are not personally touched by adoption need to speak out. One never knows when an adoption law might affect a family member.