This proposed law only proves to reinforce the ridiculousness of falsified (amended) birth certificates in the first place.
Every American deserves the right to an ACCURATE birth certificate, not one that lists "legal" parents. A "Certificate of Live Birth" is a government document that should be required to ONLY list those who actually give birth and/or provide the true DNA...that would ensure every individual in America the right to KNOW their true identity ~ DNA/parentage/genealogical heritage.
This basic human right is STRIPPED from adoptees and donor-conceived persons. If a "legal" parent needs to be named, it should not be done on a birth certificate...
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
3 comments:
Amen! A birth certificate is just that. A certificate of the birth. Is that really so hard to understand? What they are creating by listing two moms, two dads, adoptive parents, etc. is nothing more than a title of ownership. So sad that they don't think of what they are doing to the person whose certificate they are falsifying.
I guess I look at this specific issue a little differently. I think that accurate birth certificates with birth parents are important, but after a child becomes an adult, I think there should be a way for that child to choose who their parents are.
I was not adopted. I was raised by a good mother and an abusive father for most of my life. When my mother kicked my father out, and later married my step-father I learned what it actually means to have a father, and I HATE having to list my biological father's name on official and legal papers.
In my state in the US there is a process you can go through to have an "adult adoption," although it is harder to get than it should be since my dad and I both are petitioning to have him officially adopt me. We haven't given up because my counselor and I can see so many benefits to cutting another cord that ties me to my abuser.
It seems to me that if birth certificates had the biological and adoptive parents listed until they are 18, then every adopted child could know who their first families were, while giving them three options on e they become adults.
1) Leave the certificate exactly as it is, do that all of the parents are listed.
2) Have a process for adult children to remove any or all of their parents from their birth certificate. This allows them to know, but IF they want to choose how they want to define their families, as adults they would have an option,
3) Any of the parents, first parents or adoptive parents, could ask to have their names and contact information removed if they don't want contact. This would allow a child that had been adopted to find out the names of birth parents before 18, but gives first parents the right to "opt out" of contact with their grown child. While it might be difficult for the adopted child, it would give them a clear indication of a parent who does not want a reunion, and could potentially save a lot of time and money spent "looking" for someone who does not wish to be found.
I have no idea if there is a way to implement this, but it does seem like a place to start a conversation.
Oh, one other thing. This is truly an honest question, what is the birth mother and adopter perspective on adoption from Romania or other places that have huge numbers of institutionilized children? Do they have birth certificates that are given to adopting parents?
(I really don't know much about closed and foreign adoptions. I have family members who have VERY open adoptions, and a friend from school who had an open adoption, but that is about it. So, my questions are a sincere attempt to understand more.
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