In North Carolina, adoption records which include: relinquishment papers signed by the birthmother, the birthmother's medical records, the childs medical records, the child's foster care records, the original birth certificate; are all sealed upon the finalization of the childs adoption. This being said, we know that even IF a birthmother were promised confidentiality or privacy upon the relinquishment of said child, it could never be legally upheld.
After all if she has twins and one is never adopted, that child when they become an adult will get their OBC with her name on it.
But a bigger question would be why shouldn't a birthmother be entitled to a copy of her OWN medical records of when she was in the hospital giving birth?
Also, why shouldn't the adult adoptee be entitled to a copy of their OWN medical records of before the adoption? After all those medical records are THEIRS. They do not belong to the STATE.
Next question is so why won't the legislators of North Carolina 'GET' this? Is it due to 'personal' reasons they wish not to 'GET' it? Did they possibly have a bad reunion and therefore don't believe ANY adoptee deserves the chance at the possibility of a happy reunion? Did they have a sister, aunt, or someone in the family relinquish a child and they are trying to 'protect' them, is that why some refuse to 'GET' it? If ANY of the above reasons are a legislators reason for not allowing ADULT adoptees to have a copy of their original birth certificate, should they really be serving the PEOPLE of NC, if they are letting their own PERSONAL feelings get in the way of passing law?
In 2010, Representative Margaret H. Dickson will be bringing back HB 1463, a bill to Expand the Confidential Intermediary program in NC. How will it be expanded?
It allows adult siblings and 1/2 siblings of an adult adoptee to be able to utilize the CI program. It also will allow for other adult biological family members of an adult adoptee to utilize the CI program.
This bill passed the in the House last year, but was not heard in the Senate, due to opposition there. The opposition stated if a birthmother requests not to be contacted through the CI program and one of these other people request contact, it could possibly 'out' the birthmother.
Isn't it time for our State legislators to STOP being the 'gatekeeper' of who and who cannot talk to one another within the adoption realm? They don't do this for anyone else, why should they legislate this for ADULTS in ADOPTION????
I for one would like to see this bill pass. If you would like to see this bill be passed, please contact the NC Coalition for Adoption Reform at the link.
We need your help with this. So please contact us.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
National Adoption Awareness Month in NC
NCCAR took the 'show' on the road. This month was a whirlwind tour of education around the state of NC.
We showed the movie Roots: Unknown by Zara Phillips to over 150 NC Division of Social Service Workers between November 1 and November 18 in areas such as Vance County, Gates County, Macon County, Alexander County, Onslow County, Wayne County, Martin County, New Hanover County, Perquimans County and Edgecombe County.
On November 7, we showed the film to around 25-30 adoptive and foster care parents associated with the group Transracial Families of NC Triangle.
We showed the movies to two of the four support groups in North Carolina also
On November 18 we ended the tour, showing the film to at least 30 adoptive and foster parents in Rocky Mount.
We performed exercises which really helped the people at these viewings 'GET IT' about foster kids in care, and what it is like to be an adoptee.
Education of the agencies working with adoption, as well as the public is the only way we will achieve access to the original birth certificate in North Carolina. We need these people to be able to contact their State Legislators (Representatives and Senators), letting them know 'It's ok if adult adoptees have their OBC, the sky will not fall here'.
Two States never saw a need to seal the original birth certificate from any adult adoptee. They felt that when an adoptee became an adult they should have a copy of that document. Six other states have joined in and have also allowed adult adoptees to have copies of this document. The sky has not fallen in any of those states. Nothing bad has resulted from adult aodptees having a copy of this document.
Nothing bad would happen here either. We are talking about people who are all adults and should act as such. If they don't, then there are consequences put forth by other laws which will govern their actions.
But back to NAAM in NC. All in all, we feel we had a huge success to showing this film as well as showing Unlocking the Heart of Adoption by Sheila Ganz to two of the agencies.
As an aside, NCCAR is on Facebook and also is now on Twitter. These are all good avenues to get the message out.
If you would like to help us make this much needed change here in NC so that NC is not the LAST state to get onto this bandwagon, please see our website. Help us make a difference in NC for the only group of individuals placed in a witness protection program without their consent.
Remember that birthmother confidentiality is a MYTH.... would never be able to be held up in a court of law since records are only sealed upon finalization of adoption....not relinquishment.
We showed the movie Roots: Unknown by Zara Phillips to over 150 NC Division of Social Service Workers between November 1 and November 18 in areas such as Vance County, Gates County, Macon County, Alexander County, Onslow County, Wayne County, Martin County, New Hanover County, Perquimans County and Edgecombe County.
On November 7, we showed the film to around 25-30 adoptive and foster care parents associated with the group Transracial Families of NC Triangle.
We showed the movies to two of the four support groups in North Carolina also
On November 18 we ended the tour, showing the film to at least 30 adoptive and foster parents in Rocky Mount.
We performed exercises which really helped the people at these viewings 'GET IT' about foster kids in care, and what it is like to be an adoptee.
Education of the agencies working with adoption, as well as the public is the only way we will achieve access to the original birth certificate in North Carolina. We need these people to be able to contact their State Legislators (Representatives and Senators), letting them know 'It's ok if adult adoptees have their OBC, the sky will not fall here'.
Two States never saw a need to seal the original birth certificate from any adult adoptee. They felt that when an adoptee became an adult they should have a copy of that document. Six other states have joined in and have also allowed adult adoptees to have copies of this document. The sky has not fallen in any of those states. Nothing bad has resulted from adult aodptees having a copy of this document.
Nothing bad would happen here either. We are talking about people who are all adults and should act as such. If they don't, then there are consequences put forth by other laws which will govern their actions.
But back to NAAM in NC. All in all, we feel we had a huge success to showing this film as well as showing Unlocking the Heart of Adoption by Sheila Ganz to two of the agencies.
As an aside, NCCAR is on Facebook and also is now on Twitter. These are all good avenues to get the message out.
If you would like to help us make this much needed change here in NC so that NC is not the LAST state to get onto this bandwagon, please see our website. Help us make a difference in NC for the only group of individuals placed in a witness protection program without their consent.
Remember that birthmother confidentiality is a MYTH.... would never be able to be held up in a court of law since records are only sealed upon finalization of adoption....not relinquishment.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The State of Adoption Reform in NC
I think it’s best, once again, to talk about North Carolina’s Confidential Intermediary Program. Since the law took affect in January 2008, some counties were eager to provide the service to adoptees and birth parents, while others weren’t. The ability of agencies to say “Hey, we’re not doing it”, still bothers me.
Who gets to choose if they will obey a law or not?
The Confidential Intermediary Program is not the be all end all for North Carolina. It is the stepping stone in which the adoption triad of NC chose to start the adoption reform process. What most adoptees in this state want is equality; to be treated like everyone else with regards to access to their original birth certificate. You have yours. Why can’t I have mine? I am an adult with my own children and would like to have access to the piece of paper that documents my TRUE BIRTH; the one with my original name, the location and hospital of where I was born and to whom I was born. The social taboos of adoption backed by antiquated state law keep this information a secret.
In studying the history of sealed adoption records in the United States as well as North Carolina, the sealing of one’s original birth certificate was put into place for several reasons. First, was to keep the biological parents from interfering with the new family. Secondly, to keep the adoptee from knowing the status of his or her birth. (i.e. unwed, bastard, illegitimate). Unfortunately, lawmakers use birth mother privacy/confidentiality as an argument to keep the records sealed, yet the law was actually created to keep the birth parents from violating the adoptive family’s privacy.
The Confidential Intermediary law is about reunions. It’s about people wanting to exchange medical history, pictures, cards, letters and possibly meeting for which I am an advocate if that is what an individual wants. Unfortunately, it is NOT about the right to the original documentation of one’s birth. Let me just clarify that not every adoptee wants a reunion. Some would just like the opportunity to obtain the documentation of their birth. Some don’t care to know a thing. I’m all for that too. However, at the present time, due to the circumstances of our birth, adoptees’ have been denied the basic right to our original and true identity; the original birth certificate that documents our genetic identity. Many of us want it, some of us don’t, but one thing is for certain, we all have the right to it.
The CI program does not address our rights as human beings, but rest assure the North Carolina Coalition for Adoption Reform will continue to pursue those rights for the adult adoptee population here in NC.
Who gets to choose if they will obey a law or not?
The Confidential Intermediary Program is not the be all end all for North Carolina. It is the stepping stone in which the adoption triad of NC chose to start the adoption reform process. What most adoptees in this state want is equality; to be treated like everyone else with regards to access to their original birth certificate. You have yours. Why can’t I have mine? I am an adult with my own children and would like to have access to the piece of paper that documents my TRUE BIRTH; the one with my original name, the location and hospital of where I was born and to whom I was born. The social taboos of adoption backed by antiquated state law keep this information a secret.
In studying the history of sealed adoption records in the United States as well as North Carolina, the sealing of one’s original birth certificate was put into place for several reasons. First, was to keep the biological parents from interfering with the new family. Secondly, to keep the adoptee from knowing the status of his or her birth. (i.e. unwed, bastard, illegitimate). Unfortunately, lawmakers use birth mother privacy/confidentiality as an argument to keep the records sealed, yet the law was actually created to keep the birth parents from violating the adoptive family’s privacy.
The Confidential Intermediary law is about reunions. It’s about people wanting to exchange medical history, pictures, cards, letters and possibly meeting for which I am an advocate if that is what an individual wants. Unfortunately, it is NOT about the right to the original documentation of one’s birth. Let me just clarify that not every adoptee wants a reunion. Some would just like the opportunity to obtain the documentation of their birth. Some don’t care to know a thing. I’m all for that too. However, at the present time, due to the circumstances of our birth, adoptees’ have been denied the basic right to our original and true identity; the original birth certificate that documents our genetic identity. Many of us want it, some of us don’t, but one thing is for certain, we all have the right to it.
The CI program does not address our rights as human beings, but rest assure the North Carolina Coalition for Adoption Reform will continue to pursue those rights for the adult adoptee population here in NC.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The dance
Reunion is hard. Searching was hard, too, but it was this vague construct, and it took place in the familiar fantasy world in which I've always lived when it came to my adopted status. At least when you're in search, you can imagine how things might be. Worst-case and best-case scenarios can stack up side-by-side for analysis, and you can work through how you might deal with this or that circumstance. It's like some giant algebraic equation. If a, then y + b. If not a, then y - b x w. If she answers and hangs up, then call her sister. If she has moved, then contact the mayor. All sorts of possibilities, all sorts of solutions.
But when it comes to the actual reunion, it's a whole new ballgame, and as far as I've been able to tell, there is no rule book. Oh, sure, there are books on reunion, on the do's and don'ts, but every reunion is completely different. There is no chapter in any book that mirrors MY experience. Perhaps that's why at least half of the adoptees in reunion I've met in the last year say they are writing a book. No one shares the same experience in reunion between biological families and children raised in other families. It's more individual even that parenting, because of all of the variables, all of the players, and all of the time lost.
I am happy to report that I have crossed a threshold with my bio-mom, the same one I crossed with my adoptive parents many years ago.
I grew up in a family that never said, "I love you." We just didn't do it. Quick hug, peck on the cheek, a "good night," that was it for affection in my house. I have pictures of me as a young child, three or four, sitting in my adoptive mother's lap, and it looks like I can't wait to hop up and be alone. Even as a baby, I've only seen one or maybe two snapshots where I was in my a-mom or a-dad's arms looking anything but uncomfortable. My a-mom always said that it was because I was anxious to move around and get back to my toys or my drawings, but I think it was a deeper sense of not wanting to be dealt with that spurred me to be physically apart. So maybe it was my own distaste for being held that set the tone, but the tone was most definitely set in my house. I was in my early teens babysitting one day, when I watched two of my young charges give each other a big bear hug. I recall this distinct longing in my gut for that kind of affection. No one ever hugged me like that, and I was determined to change my reality. That night I went home and when it was time for bed, I leaned over, gave my a-mom a peck on the cheek, and said, "I love you." What could she do but respond in kind? I did the same with my a-dad, and he replied similarly. From that point on, we became a family that said "I love you." My relationshop with my a-dad didn't change, and would never be healthy and nurturing, but at least he and I were going through the verbal motions. My a-mom and I had always been fairly close, but I wanted her to SAY it. And from that point on, she did. Even today, when we finish a conversation, we both say "I love you," although I'm most often the first to say it.
And so it has happened with my bio-mom. When she left last Friday after what was a disconcerting and yet really satisfying visit, I hugged her and said, "I love you." And that is our new reality. It feels good, and it feels right. We spoke yesterday on the phone, and she was the first to say it! Why am I so surprised when she does? I guess I've tried to keep my expectations low so I won't be disappointed or hurt.
Yeah, like that works.
These are uncharted waters, and I get seasick easily. It's work, these relationships, made more challenging by the passing of time, the withholding of information, the lies and deceptions that go into forging the life of an adopted child and hiding the life of a relinquishing mother. But that's the price we humans pay for being in relationship.
But when it comes to the actual reunion, it's a whole new ballgame, and as far as I've been able to tell, there is no rule book. Oh, sure, there are books on reunion, on the do's and don'ts, but every reunion is completely different. There is no chapter in any book that mirrors MY experience. Perhaps that's why at least half of the adoptees in reunion I've met in the last year say they are writing a book. No one shares the same experience in reunion between biological families and children raised in other families. It's more individual even that parenting, because of all of the variables, all of the players, and all of the time lost.
---------
I am happy to report that I have crossed a threshold with my bio-mom, the same one I crossed with my adoptive parents many years ago.
I grew up in a family that never said, "I love you." We just didn't do it. Quick hug, peck on the cheek, a "good night," that was it for affection in my house. I have pictures of me as a young child, three or four, sitting in my adoptive mother's lap, and it looks like I can't wait to hop up and be alone. Even as a baby, I've only seen one or maybe two snapshots where I was in my a-mom or a-dad's arms looking anything but uncomfortable. My a-mom always said that it was because I was anxious to move around and get back to my toys or my drawings, but I think it was a deeper sense of not wanting to be dealt with that spurred me to be physically apart. So maybe it was my own distaste for being held that set the tone, but the tone was most definitely set in my house. I was in my early teens babysitting one day, when I watched two of my young charges give each other a big bear hug. I recall this distinct longing in my gut for that kind of affection. No one ever hugged me like that, and I was determined to change my reality. That night I went home and when it was time for bed, I leaned over, gave my a-mom a peck on the cheek, and said, "I love you." What could she do but respond in kind? I did the same with my a-dad, and he replied similarly. From that point on, we became a family that said "I love you." My relationshop with my a-dad didn't change, and would never be healthy and nurturing, but at least he and I were going through the verbal motions. My a-mom and I had always been fairly close, but I wanted her to SAY it. And from that point on, she did. Even today, when we finish a conversation, we both say "I love you," although I'm most often the first to say it.
And so it has happened with my bio-mom. When she left last Friday after what was a disconcerting and yet really satisfying visit, I hugged her and said, "I love you." And that is our new reality. It feels good, and it feels right. We spoke yesterday on the phone, and she was the first to say it! Why am I so surprised when she does? I guess I've tried to keep my expectations low so I won't be disappointed or hurt.
Yeah, like that works.
These are uncharted waters, and I get seasick easily. It's work, these relationships, made more challenging by the passing of time, the withholding of information, the lies and deceptions that go into forging the life of an adopted child and hiding the life of a relinquishing mother. But that's the price we humans pay for being in relationship.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The story in pictures
My bio-mom (our new super-hero name for mothers who gave birth and relinquished children for adoption) is, if all goes according to plan, coming for a visit next week. I've been working on a photo album, a scrapbook really, of my life from my adoption through 21 years of age, and as I always do when I scrapbook (yes, for those of us struggling with the addiction, that is a verb), I've been obsessing over the project and neglecting everything else that I can get away with so that I'll have a few more precious seconds to put pictures and pen to paper. I'm getting down to the short rows now (good old Southern euphemism to be sure) and will finish easily with another hour or so tomorrow afternoon. And that is a good thing, but this time, this scrapbook has stirred up emotions in me that no other scrapbooking project has before. It's no wonder, but as predictable as a storm might be, I've still got to deal with the thunder and hail that is accompanying it.
A few months ago, I made another scrapbook for my bio-mom, this one of my son's life, birth through three, and I was very careful not to include pictures of his adoptive grandparents, for fear of establishing a, "So where were YOU when this picture was taken?" kind of vibe. I figured she'd want to see my son's pictures more than anyone else's images, so I was cautious and put together what I thought was an attractive, informative, not-too-emotional book. She was pleased with it, and I've promised to do more pages to bring her more up to date. But this book, this book of my life, is a lot stickier. I've been torn between brutal honesty ("I was miserable from age eight until I left home at 17.") and sugar-coating everything ("I knew I was loved, and I had all of my needs taken care of.") Neither story is completely accurate, and yet both are true.
How much is too much when we decide to open ourselves up to our newly reunited relatives? How do we balance our need for transparency (confession?) with our desire to protect? Do we photo-shop our past?
And how do we deal with the feelings that bubble up when we look at our lives and begin to tell our stories? I have felt on-edge and nervous all week, hassled and annoyed at the smallest of things. Is this sadness I'm tamping down as I look at my baby pictures and think of what my bio-mom didn't get to see? Or is it anger that I was relinquished in the first place? Or maybe, more simply, am I just plain nervous about seeing my bio-mom again? Most likely a bit of all three.
So it's Friday night and my family is all home, and I can put aside my pictures for the night and enjoy some down time. But sleep may again be elusive as I hash through all of the pent-up energy of 42+ years of questions and, finally, answers. Perhaps the real scrapbooking is going on in my heart as I crop and rearrange my previous sense of who I am and how I came to be here to make room for the new pictures of family that are slowly emerging.
A few months ago, I made another scrapbook for my bio-mom, this one of my son's life, birth through three, and I was very careful not to include pictures of his adoptive grandparents, for fear of establishing a, "So where were YOU when this picture was taken?" kind of vibe. I figured she'd want to see my son's pictures more than anyone else's images, so I was cautious and put together what I thought was an attractive, informative, not-too-emotional book. She was pleased with it, and I've promised to do more pages to bring her more up to date. But this book, this book of my life, is a lot stickier. I've been torn between brutal honesty ("I was miserable from age eight until I left home at 17.") and sugar-coating everything ("I knew I was loved, and I had all of my needs taken care of.") Neither story is completely accurate, and yet both are true.
How much is too much when we decide to open ourselves up to our newly reunited relatives? How do we balance our need for transparency (confession?) with our desire to protect? Do we photo-shop our past?
And how do we deal with the feelings that bubble up when we look at our lives and begin to tell our stories? I have felt on-edge and nervous all week, hassled and annoyed at the smallest of things. Is this sadness I'm tamping down as I look at my baby pictures and think of what my bio-mom didn't get to see? Or is it anger that I was relinquished in the first place? Or maybe, more simply, am I just plain nervous about seeing my bio-mom again? Most likely a bit of all three.
So it's Friday night and my family is all home, and I can put aside my pictures for the night and enjoy some down time. But sleep may again be elusive as I hash through all of the pent-up energy of 42+ years of questions and, finally, answers. Perhaps the real scrapbooking is going on in my heart as I crop and rearrange my previous sense of who I am and how I came to be here to make room for the new pictures of family that are slowly emerging.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
HB1463
Today, HB1463 passed in the NC House Judiciary I committee.
HB1463, will Expand Access to adult biological siblings, adult biological half siblings and adult family members of deceased biological parents. This bill will also lower the age back to 18 for all adult adoptees to utilize the program, and allow an agency acting as a confidential intermediary to obtain a copy of a death certificate of the person who is the subject of the search and deliver it to the person requesting the services.
We hope that HB1463 will be read in the House tomorrow, and then sent over to the Senate, before May 14, which is the bill cross-over deadline.
NCCAR would like for adult siblings or other family members who would be interested in utilizing the confidential intermediary program to contact them, as soon as possible. We need you to be able to write to your Senator in the NC Legislature, when the time comes.
You can contact us at nccar@mindspring.com
HB1463, will Expand Access to adult biological siblings, adult biological half siblings and adult family members of deceased biological parents. This bill will also lower the age back to 18 for all adult adoptees to utilize the program, and allow an agency acting as a confidential intermediary to obtain a copy of a death certificate of the person who is the subject of the search and deliver it to the person requesting the services.
We hope that HB1463 will be read in the House tomorrow, and then sent over to the Senate, before May 14, which is the bill cross-over deadline.
NCCAR would like for adult siblings or other family members who would be interested in utilizing the confidential intermediary program to contact them, as soon as possible. We need you to be able to write to your Senator in the NC Legislature, when the time comes.
You can contact us at nccar@mindspring.com
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Birthmother's Day Angst
It's 4:00am on Saturday, and I haven't slept since midnight. After tossing and turning for ages, I finally gave up and came downstairs, started some laundry, and sat down at the computer to refine my Birthmother's Day address for church on Sunday.
Lying in bed, I kept going over in my head what I felt needed to be said on the topic, worried about not saying enough, maybe saying too much. I have to be sensitive to the fact that of the 75-100 people who will be in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, there will most likely be at least one or two mothers, and possibly fathers (more likely?) who have relinquished (although perhaps the fathers will be blind to the fact...oh boy, that's another post). I also want to be cognizant of the sensitive issues surrounding adoptive families, the infertility that may have led to the pursuit of adopting, the challenges of parenting a child not of your flesh, and (heaven forbid) the tragedy in some families of the adopted child not even knowing s/he was adopted.
Isn't it interesting that I feel compelled to be so ultra-cautious with my ten-minutes of mic time? As I begin to find my voice as a reunited adoptee, I am exquisitely aware of the importance of treading lightly in these new waters. I want to educate people on the issues surrounding adoption, relinquishment, and reunion, without scaring them away. If we can open the minds of our friends and neighbors, co-workers and carpool crews, then it's more likely to change laws, which must happen if we as adoptees are ever to truly be citizens on an equal footing in our society. This is important stuff, and I really don't want to screw it up, even on Sunday morning in my little church.
So I'll go over it again, fine-tuning until I feel comfortable with it. And if there is a birthmother sitting in the pews on Sunday, maybe she will find a bit of comfort knowing that her experience is being acknowledged, or perhaps someone will be curious and ask me why knowing where you come from is so important (as if there could be any question, but from those outside of the adoption community, I've had that question raised). I do know that I will feel better having talked about my own story. It's part of my own journey toward wholeness, one which truly began two years ago, interestingly enough, on Birthmother's Day.
Lying in bed, I kept going over in my head what I felt needed to be said on the topic, worried about not saying enough, maybe saying too much. I have to be sensitive to the fact that of the 75-100 people who will be in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, there will most likely be at least one or two mothers, and possibly fathers (more likely?) who have relinquished (although perhaps the fathers will be blind to the fact...oh boy, that's another post). I also want to be cognizant of the sensitive issues surrounding adoptive families, the infertility that may have led to the pursuit of adopting, the challenges of parenting a child not of your flesh, and (heaven forbid) the tragedy in some families of the adopted child not even knowing s/he was adopted.
Isn't it interesting that I feel compelled to be so ultra-cautious with my ten-minutes of mic time? As I begin to find my voice as a reunited adoptee, I am exquisitely aware of the importance of treading lightly in these new waters. I want to educate people on the issues surrounding adoption, relinquishment, and reunion, without scaring them away. If we can open the minds of our friends and neighbors, co-workers and carpool crews, then it's more likely to change laws, which must happen if we as adoptees are ever to truly be citizens on an equal footing in our society. This is important stuff, and I really don't want to screw it up, even on Sunday morning in my little church.
So I'll go over it again, fine-tuning until I feel comfortable with it. And if there is a birthmother sitting in the pews on Sunday, maybe she will find a bit of comfort knowing that her experience is being acknowledged, or perhaps someone will be curious and ask me why knowing where you come from is so important (as if there could be any question, but from those outside of the adoption community, I've had that question raised). I do know that I will feel better having talked about my own story. It's part of my own journey toward wholeness, one which truly began two years ago, interestingly enough, on Birthmother's Day.
Friday, May 1, 2009
How Many Adult Adoptees Left Behind?
On Wednesday, the Associated Press released an article “US Does About Face on Camp Lejeune’s Tap Water”. This story is regarding the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Between June 1957 until March 1, 1987, two separate water distribution systems aboard Camp Lejeune were found to be highly contaminated with various chemicals such including VOCs (volatile organic compounds) known as PCE (Tetrachloroehlyene aka Percholoroethylene), TCE (Trichloroethylene), DCE (Dichloroethylene), Vinyl Chloride, and BTEX (Benzene, Tolune, Ethylbenzene and Xylene). These are known or suspected carcinogens.
Reported health problems in children who were exposed in the womb from their mother drinking water contaminated with TCE and/or PCE include: Leukemia, Small for gestational age, low birth weight, fetal death, major heart defects neural tube defects oral cleft defects (including cleft lip), Chonal atresia (nasal passages blocked with bone or tissue) and eye defects.
Reported health problems in children who were exposed in the womb from their mother working with TCE and/or PCE include: Low birth weight, miscarriage, major malformations.
In 1997 ‘The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that adults had little or no increased cancer risk from the past contaminated water, but raised concern about effects on developing fetuses. It recommended studies on the fetal effects’.
On Tuesday, Federal health officials withdrew this 1997 assessment of health effects from the water contamination because of omissions and scientific inaccuracy. The article states as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to water toxins over a 30 year period before the bad wells were closed in 1987, with the Marines estimating the number at 500,000.
In 2006, the chairwoman of the NC Coalition for Adoption Reform (NCCAR), Roberta MacDonald, brought to Jeff Bryon’s attention, (a founder of The Proud, The Few and The Forgotten website) another class of people who were being forgotten. All of the children born in Onslow County and were relinquished for adoption.
Ms. MacDonald told Jeff there was no way of knowing how many women stationed either on base or off, may have either relinquished children for adoption. There are others who may have been stationed on or near the base who may have had their parental rights terminated at a later date. The children of these relinquishments and parental right terminations will never be able to know about their possible exposure to these chemicals. These children who are now adults would have no way of knowing they had been exposed either in utero to these chemicals or after birth, due to the adoption statute which seals adoption records upon finalization of adoption.
If adults who were actually stationed at Camp Lejeune, no nothing about the contamination, how can we expect the children of adoption to know?
Members of NCCAR believe original identity is a basic human right, and that every adult adoptee deserves access to their original birth certificate, the very same access afforded to all non-adopted persons. They believe that government should never be in the business of sealing a person’s identity without their permission, under any circumstances.
However because of adoption records being in North Carolina, there are probably a few thousand children at least who were adopted in Onslow County between 1957 and 1987 and will never know they were exposed to these chemicals.
The members of the NC legislature should know it is their responsibility and duty, to find a way to let this class of people know they were exposed to harmful chemicals which may have affect them or their children. There should be no adult adoptee or their children left behind, when it comes to this matter.
For more information regarding any upcoming legislation regarding access to original birth certificates in North Carolina, please see our website at http://adoptionreform-nc.org and for more information regarding The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten see http://tftptf.com/
Reported health problems in children who were exposed in the womb from their mother drinking water contaminated with TCE and/or PCE include: Leukemia, Small for gestational age, low birth weight, fetal death, major heart defects neural tube defects oral cleft defects (including cleft lip), Chonal atresia (nasal passages blocked with bone or tissue) and eye defects.
Reported health problems in children who were exposed in the womb from their mother working with TCE and/or PCE include: Low birth weight, miscarriage, major malformations.
In 1997 ‘The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that adults had little or no increased cancer risk from the past contaminated water, but raised concern about effects on developing fetuses. It recommended studies on the fetal effects’.
On Tuesday, Federal health officials withdrew this 1997 assessment of health effects from the water contamination because of omissions and scientific inaccuracy. The article states as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to water toxins over a 30 year period before the bad wells were closed in 1987, with the Marines estimating the number at 500,000.
In 2006, the chairwoman of the NC Coalition for Adoption Reform (NCCAR), Roberta MacDonald, brought to Jeff Bryon’s attention, (a founder of The Proud, The Few and The Forgotten website) another class of people who were being forgotten. All of the children born in Onslow County and were relinquished for adoption.
Ms. MacDonald told Jeff there was no way of knowing how many women stationed either on base or off, may have either relinquished children for adoption. There are others who may have been stationed on or near the base who may have had their parental rights terminated at a later date. The children of these relinquishments and parental right terminations will never be able to know about their possible exposure to these chemicals. These children who are now adults would have no way of knowing they had been exposed either in utero to these chemicals or after birth, due to the adoption statute which seals adoption records upon finalization of adoption.
If adults who were actually stationed at Camp Lejeune, no nothing about the contamination, how can we expect the children of adoption to know?
Members of NCCAR believe original identity is a basic human right, and that every adult adoptee deserves access to their original birth certificate, the very same access afforded to all non-adopted persons. They believe that government should never be in the business of sealing a person’s identity without their permission, under any circumstances.
However because of adoption records being in North Carolina, there are probably a few thousand children at least who were adopted in Onslow County between 1957 and 1987 and will never know they were exposed to these chemicals.
The members of the NC legislature should know it is their responsibility and duty, to find a way to let this class of people know they were exposed to harmful chemicals which may have affect them or their children. There should be no adult adoptee or their children left behind, when it comes to this matter.
For more information regarding any upcoming legislation regarding access to original birth certificates in North Carolina, please see our website at http://adoptionreform-nc.org and for more information regarding The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten see http://tftptf.com/
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