Restoring the right of all adults adopted in The State of Illinois to access their identity and birth records.
CHICAGO, July 17, 1997: Adoptee rights protest
SPRINGFIELD: This is where Illinois locks up its dirty little state secrets--adoptees' original birth certificates--a strip mall.
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A DAY FOR ADOPTEE RIGHTS!
JULY 22, 2008 - NEW ORLEANS
Official Adoptee Protest Homepage
MySpace Adoptee Rights Protest
Bastard Nation NOLA Page
Measurable Rights: the Fight for Open Records in Oregon is a documentary by Paul R. Fournier. In Paul's words, the film is
"the story of Helen Hill, who used Oregon’s Ballot Measure 58 to open sealed birth certificates for adult adoptees. Her initiative turned into a civil rights battle
that caused a sea of change in adoption laws across the country."
Unlocking the Heart of Adoption a documentary by first mom activist Sheila Ganz. It's been shown on numerous PBS stations and film festivals, and is used to educate legislators and the public about adoptee issues and records access.
ACTIVISM 101
The The Activist's Handbook: A Primer for the 1990s and Beyond by Randy Skinner. The book that helped launch the Oregon Ballot Initiative. An invaluable resource for anyone working for social change.
Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals by Saul Alinsky. The classic activist guidebook that never grows old.
ADOPTION
Adoption Politics, Bastard Nation and Mesaure 58 by E. Wayne Carp.
Read the in-depth story of how Helen Hill, Bastard Nation and the people of Oregon defeated adoption industry lies and restored the right of records and identity for Oregon adoptees.
Adoption Mystique by Joanne Wolf Small. Joanne says it all! A short but outstanding analysis of adoption secrecy and why we need our records restored to us. The book is a finalist in the social change category for the 2007 National Best Books Awards sponsored by USA BookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses.
The Baby Thief: the Untold Story of Georgia Tan the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption by Barbara Bisanz Raymond. The story of Georgia Tann who worked her evil with the full knowledge of courts, social workers, and politicians. Between 1924 and 1950 she arranged 5000 "adoptions"--many of them of children she'd kidnapped or obtained by other illegal or unethical means. Raymond argues convincingly that Tann instituted the sealed records system that all but a handful of states practice today, in order to hide her illegal activities. Publishers Weekly named the book one of the top 20 non-fiction books of 2007.
Growing in the Dark: Adoption Secrecy and Its Consequences by Janine Baer. Learn the history of sealed records in California. Every sealed state needs a book like this.
For the Records: The Restorial of A Right to Adult Adoptees published by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institiute, November 2007. This report calls for the restoration of the right of sealed birth records to all adult adoptees.
Fumbling Toward Divinity: The Adoption Scriptures by Craig Hickman, a finalist in the 2006 Lambda Book Awards, is a stunning memoir about growing up adopted, black and queer. Craig's letter to the State of Wisconsin is worth the price of the book!
Betty Jean Lifton has probably done more than anyone to bring adoptees into the political arena. Her Twice Born: Memoirs of an Adopted Daughter was recently reissued. This and her other books Journey of the Adopted Self: A Quest for Wholeness and Lost and Found: The Adoption Experience have nurtured a generation. You can't miss with BJ!
The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade is essential reading for equal access advocates. An expert debunking of the myth of first mother “anonymity.â€
Beggars and Choosers: How the Politics of Choice Shapes Adoption, Abortion, and Welfare in the United States --a great companion piece to TGWWA.
Family Matters: Secrecy and Disclosure in the History of Adoption by E. Wayne Carp. We disagree with some of the conclusions, but this is essential reading for those who want to know how adoption came to the secret sorry state it is today.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
The National Council for Adoption is the largest and most powerful anti-adoptee lobby in the US. It was founded in 1980 with Texas oil money for the sole purpose of keeping records sealed (under the guise of "promoting adoption"). NCFA's
Factbook 3 is a treasure trove of the stereotype, mis-and dis-information, and propaganda about adopted persons and their rights that has saturated legislators and policy makers for decades.
FB 3 replacement, Factbook 4, was released Suummer 2007. It's a lot tamer, but should be an essential part of your activist library. You must know your enemy. If you want to open your records you need this information! Also read NCFA's Birthmother, Good Mother booklet while you're at it.
FB4 and BMGM can be ordered online from NCFA; FB3 is downloadable on its site. Go here
ILLINOIS OPEN RECORDS MEDIA REPORTS
Chicago Tribune, November 12, 2007 ; Report urges open access to records for adult adoptees
Chicago Tribune , November 16, 2007; Letter from Anita Field--Adopted woman talks back
Chicago Tribune November 19, 2007; Letter from Mary Ross--Truth in Adoption
Chicago Tribune , November 19, 2007; Letter from Sharon Parmet--Adoption Records
Chicago Tribune , November 19, 2007; Letter from Triona Guidry, Adoptees are a largely ignored minority
Chicago Sun-Times , November 20, 2007: Editorial--Adoptee birth records should be open to them
Chicago Tribune , November 24, 2007: Letter from Carol Howe--Adoption Information
Chicago Tribune , November 24, 2007: Letter from Helen Cambon--Adoptees' rights
ABC7-TV , Chicago, March 10, 2008: Lawmakers Work to et Adult Adoptees Access to Certificates
Chicago Tribune , March 11, 2008: Adoptees Search for Identity
Journal Gazette-Times, March 20, 2008, State Lawmakers Present Legislation Targeting Birth Records, Cot of Adoption. (not online)
Chicago Tribune, March 21, 2008: Editorial--Adoptees and Their Records
ILLINOIS ADOPTEE RIGHTS BLOG ROLL
Adoptee Rights News Blog (for Illinois news)
Bastard Granny Annie (Anita Field)
73adoptee
The Daily Bastardette (for Illinois commentary)
Rights of Adoptees (Mary Fuller)
NEW RESOURCE: Adoption Reform Illinois