In honor of Veronica...
Don’t steal the land of defenseless orphans
by moving their ancient boundary marks,
for their Redeemer is strong;
He himself will accuse you.
Proverbs 23:10-11
by moving their ancient boundary marks,
for their Redeemer is strong;
He himself will accuse you.
Proverbs 23:10-11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As difficult a year it has been for the Brown family
and all those who care about Veronica...
how much harder it must have been for her?
We cannot even fathom.
A year ago she wasn't worth an interest hearing
or civil rights lawsuit filed on her behalf.
(see Adoptive Couple versus Baby Girl).
Baby Girl is a picture of what adoptees endure their entire lives...
silencing through the sealing and erasure of our very identities.
Our God-given personhood is stolen.
She was silenced in the back of that car on September 23, 2013
and must continue her dance of loyalty in order to survive.
Eventually she may forget what really happened and her little mind will be forced to live inside narratives completely incongruent with her inner reality.
She now has an amended birth certificate,
and an adoption decree which forever defines her.
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or civil rights lawsuit filed on her behalf.
(see Adoptive Couple versus Baby Girl).
Baby Girl is a picture of what adoptees endure their entire lives...
silencing through the sealing and erasure of our very identities.
Our God-given personhood is stolen.
She was silenced in the back of that car on September 23, 2013
and must continue her dance of loyalty in order to survive.
Eventually she may forget what really happened and her little mind will be forced to live inside narratives completely incongruent with her inner reality.
She now has an amended birth certificate,
and an adoption decree which forever defines her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I was pondering this sweet child, I was reminded of another little girl made famous, named Virginia O'Hanlon who wrote a newspaper in 1897 asking about Santa.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus ...
Papa says 'If you see it in The Sun it's so ...
please tell me the truth."
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus ...
Papa says 'If you see it in The Sun it's so ...
please tell me the truth."
A man named Francis P. Church, was working as an editor for his brother's
(William Church, a commissioner and founder of the National Rifle Assoc) newspaper,
the New York Sun.
He was asked to respond, and, of course, his definitive editorial became famous.
(William Church, a commissioner and founder of the National Rifle Assoc) newspaper,
the New York Sun.
He was asked to respond, and, of course, his definitive editorial became famous.
"Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Clause."
"Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.
It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIA'S."
"Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.
It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIA'S."
Although Virginia had specifically asked for "the truth"...she,
along with the rest of the nation, was led to believe a lie.
Just an "innocent" fantasy.
A warm and fuzzy, feel-good myth.
along with the rest of the nation, was led to believe a lie.
Just an "innocent" fantasy.
A warm and fuzzy, feel-good myth.
A man in a suit who could give us anything we want.
The sweet little narrative missed one thing...the truth.
Back in 1897, Virginia, and the rest of the nation,
ate it up like cookies and milk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ate it up like cookies and milk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 2014, I worry about the not so innocent myths.
Those so powerful, they erase little Veronica's...
no longer nourished by God-given identities and bonds;
surrounded by strangers throwing gotcha parties;
fed sugary sweet tales that can't satisfy.
Those so powerful, they erase little Veronica's...
no longer nourished by God-given identities and bonds;
surrounded by strangers throwing gotcha parties;
fed sugary sweet tales that can't satisfy.
Crisis-pregnancy and adoption agencies continue to recruit
and even coerce vulnerable mothers
with promises of "openness" (which are legally unenforceable)
and the heroic belief she is giving an ultimate "gift".
That's the sugar-coated version.
We fail to address the underlying motives of highly profitable
and politically well-connected "professionals"
helping themselves to babies...
even if the child's family gets in their way.
We legalize recruitment strategies to increase
the number of "available" children,
rather than serve those who already need homes.
In current adoption law, infants and children are used as commodities
to supply the discontented...those willing to pay into unethical systems
for a child to call "their own."
Some believe they are saving the world.
Truth be told, we'll never really know how many children truly need homes,
until adoption no longer functions as an economic "family building" industry
with no regard for human rights.
and even coerce vulnerable mothers
with promises of "openness" (which are legally unenforceable)
and the heroic belief she is giving an ultimate "gift".
That's the sugar-coated version.
We fail to address the underlying motives of highly profitable
and politically well-connected "professionals"
helping themselves to babies...
even if the child's family gets in their way.
We legalize recruitment strategies to increase
the number of "available" children,
rather than serve those who already need homes.
In current adoption law, infants and children are used as commodities
to supply the discontented...those willing to pay into unethical systems
for a child to call "their own."
Some believe they are saving the world.
Truth be told, we'll never really know how many children truly need homes,
until adoption no longer functions as an economic "family building" industry
with no regard for human rights.
Our legislators across this nation legalize a business model to "serve" children,
complete with "experts" whose real customers are shiny new "psychological" parents.
Re-defining, for their own purposes, terms such as "family",
"attachment" and "best interest";
but stripping the God-given right of a child to their own lineage and kinship.
If for some reason a child must be cared for
outside their family of birth,
shouldn't it be a last resort?
Why ask any fellow human-being to give up their identity
on an "amended" birth certificate?
The practice of "sealing" and "amending" birth certificates,
along with monetary incentives that create an environment
riddled with conflict of interest and profit,
turns the very definition of "adoption"
into glorified child-trafficking and "ownership" of a human-being.
Whose interest does this serve?
There is a relatively new term being discussed in our world of 2014..."identity privilege".
How appropriate for the millions of adopted individuals who are deemed
identity(less) through "sealed" and "amended" birth certificates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On that cool September evening in 2013, we, as a nation,
watched in horror as a four year old girl was stripped unnecessarily
from her home and family.
We will never understand how this so-called "adoption"
could be "finalized" on July 31, 2013
in a state and by people Veronica had not lived near for two years.
Without a "best interest" hearing.
Veronica's father, Dusten Brown had fought for the right
to raise his daughter since her infancy and she had been living in Oklahoma,
surrounded by the love and security of her real family for almost two years.
Sadly, the demand for babies and children
is legally protected in this country.
The entire situation was fraudulent from day one.
Veronica is paying a life-altering price
for the unregulated and unethical business
(we call "adoption").
And so...like every adoptee, Veronica Brown is now legally non-existent.
Adoption "flips the script" of our very lives, telling us we are born of strangers with whom we share no genetic ties.
Adoption tells us we are not related to the family from which we came, and with whom we share the generations. How truthful is that?
watched in horror as a four year old girl was stripped unnecessarily
from her home and family.
We will never understand how this so-called "adoption"
could be "finalized" on July 31, 2013
in a state and by people Veronica had not lived near for two years.
Without a "best interest" hearing.
Veronica's father, Dusten Brown had fought for the right
to raise his daughter since her infancy and she had been living in Oklahoma,
surrounded by the love and security of her real family for almost two years.
Sadly, the demand for babies and children
is legally protected in this country.
The entire situation was fraudulent from day one.
Veronica is paying a life-altering price
for the unregulated and unethical business
(we call "adoption").
And so...like every adoptee, Veronica Brown is now legally non-existent.
Adoption "flips the script" of our very lives, telling us we are born of strangers with whom we share no genetic ties.
Adoption tells us we are not related to the family from which we came, and with whom we share the generations. How truthful is that?
We can only speculate of Veronica's emotional existence...
merely a shadow of her true self.
Since her government-sanctioned abduction one year ago,
we cannot even imagine what she has been asked
to believe.
Whatever she is being told,
it must grate against everything within her.
Not only has her civil right to identity and family been stolen,
but also her inner congruence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If her fellow Lost Daughters could write a letter to Ronnie,
it might sound something like this.
it might sound something like this.
"Yes Veronica, You Are Real"
Santa is just a tale, Sweetheart, but you are very real.
In our world, some people in suits hide behind masks of greed.
In our world, some people in suits hide behind masks of greed.
They have stolen our dignity and sealed us to a lie.
Although the world may seem like merely a stage;
and you may forget who you really are,
Although the world may seem like merely a stage;
and you may forget who you really are,
Please remember this.
No matter what role we are asked to play,
you and I are not the imposters.
No matter what role we are asked to play,
you and I are not the imposters.
Deep inside, though we hardly recognize our own cries...
we still exist. And we know.
You are deserving, Veronica, to be yourself.
Your worth is not based on the needs you meet for others;
the daughter you can be for someone else.
We may feel like aliens and strangers...
but we carry with every ounce of our being
the pain and triumphs of our forefathers.
They run this race with us through our veins.
That, my sweet Veronica, can never be taken.
There is a Father you will never lose.
Though He may feel far away, know that He holds you.
Just look up.
There you are, Little Star.
You are surrounded by a throng
who will help you find your way home.
we still exist. And we know.
You are deserving, Veronica, to be yourself.
Your worth is not based on the needs you meet for others;
the daughter you can be for someone else.
We may feel like aliens and strangers...
but we carry with every ounce of our being
the pain and triumphs of our forefathers.
They run this race with us through our veins.
That, my sweet Veronica, can never be taken.
There is a Father you will never lose.
Though He may feel far away, know that He holds you.
Just look up.
There you are, Little Star.
You are surrounded by a throng
who will help you find your way home.
Lost & undone, but shining on.
We love you.
3 comments:
You made me cry-and I have cried several times today.
I still today sept,23 2014 will always fight for my son's rights. To the grandparents out their fighting for our rights, I will continue to stand for our rights as well. So very sad to see in this world the evil that one will do to another for greed and jealously. God have mercy on all who are evil.
the simple truth, eloquently stated.
veronica brown lives.
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