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At least that’s what our Massachusetts Morriseys seem to be saying. A few months ago a stillborn fetus was found in a bathroom at Brighton High School. According to the press, no mother has been identified or located. The story vanished quickly from the papers, but last week the case hit the news again when a full-blown BSH-branded funeral was held for the fetus, now named “Frances Hope.” Not surprisingly, “Baby Safe Haven” was all over it. Mike and Jean Morrisey, acting on a request from the Catholic Cemetery Association of the Diocese of Boston, took custody of the corpse, and staged a BSH Be In at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Watertown, complete with extensive media coverage. Every “abandoned baby”– even if its stillborn–is an awesome opportunity for evangelization. The media played it’s usual role of propagandist, without questioning why a stillborn found floating in a toilet–as disturbing as that can be–is equated with an abandoned newborn dead by murder or neglect. The only note of reality was found in two articles in the Boston Globe: the run-up “A name, a grave for abandoned female fetus” (August 31), followed the next day with a short filing, “A solemn memorial service Continue Reading →

I am writing an update on the “BJ Lifton Booted” dust-up where I will address some of the questions and issues that have arisen from my recent blog. It’s taking longer than I thought, so in the interim, I’m posting one or two short pieces on different topics–hopefully not as er….controversial. After all, we‘re all on the side. Aren‘t we?.

Recently, renowned adoptee rights activist BJ Lifton received notice that her services were no longer needed at the Shedding Light on the Adoption Experience V Conference scheduled for September 15-16 at Fordham University in New York City. In an email sent under the signature of conference organizers Joe Soll and Karen Wilson Buterbaugh, Dr. Lifton, was informed that her refusal to expunge the offensive “B word” from her vocabulary had earned her the jackboot as Saturday’s keynote speaker. Now, what in the world is the “B Word.” Bastard? Bitch? Buggery? Bovine? No. Hardly that interesting. Try Birthmother. THE CORRESPONDENCEThis is the email sent out to all conference presenters that Dr. Lifton received dated August 21: “Dear Presenter: Just a reminder that it would be a kindness to use the term “Mother” or “First Mother” as opposed to the ‘birth” prefix. (An increasing number of mothers of adoption loss experience these prefixes as oppressive.) Thank you! See you soon, Joe“ This was news to her. Dr. Lifton, who has known Joe Soll for decades, says when she accepted the invitation to speak at the conference she was not told of the special language requirements. If she had been informed, she would Continue Reading →

On August 24, the California General Assembly passsed by a 70-9 vote AB 1873. The law will let parents “legally” and anonymously abandon infants up to 30 days of age through the Safely Surrendered Baby Act (safe haven). The current law limits the age of the baby to 72 hours. AB 1873 was opposed by numerous adoption reform orgaizations including Bastard Nation. It was also opposed by The California Association of Counties, The California Welfare Directors Association, The LA County DA’s Office, The LA County Board of Supervisors, the LA County Sheriff, the California Department of Social Services– and even personally by LA County Supervisor Don Knabe, perhaps the biggest supporter of SSBA in the state. Below is the letter Bastard Nation has faxed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asking him to veto the bill. To add your voice to the veto, here is the contact information: Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerState Capitol BuildingSacramento, CA 95814Attention: Constituent Affairs Phone: 916-445-2841Fax: 916-445-4633 Email:http://www.govmail.ca.govDear Governor Schwarzenegger: Bastard Nation: The Adoptee Rights Organization asks you to veto AB 1873 which expands California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Act, (safe haven law) to let parents “legally” abandon infants up to 30 days old of age. AB 1873 is bad Continue Reading →

The grizzly bear is huge and wild,He has devoured the infant child.The infant child is not awareHe has been eaten by the bear. ..Ogden Nash Enter Baybee Saver Rep. Alberto Torrico and his AB 1873 introduced this year in the legislature. The bill originally raised the age limit of legal baybee dumping from 72 hours to 1-year, but when otherwise loyal SSBA supporters lobbed rotten tomatoes his way, Torrico retreated to the 1-month limit. Even that compromise horrified important state players, including the California Department of Social Services, California Welfare Directors Association, the LA County DA’s office, and assorted politicians who threw up their hands at the thought of pre-mediated abandonment. As if the whole deal isn’t about that anyway. AB 1873 has been sitting around for months, but in the last couple weeks with recess looming, sounds were made about getting it on the floor for a vote. And that’s when the rumble in the press started, and strategically placed stupid remarks from dump pushers began to show up. Stupid remarks like: *Severe post-partum depression can come about the day after birth to weeks after, all the way up to 90 days to six months after birth. We want Continue Reading →

Oh Oh! The US loses another ally in the War Against Adoptees! Taiwanese adoptees –including those adopted internationally–are now entitled to their records. At a July 4th (appropriately!) news conference, the Children’s Bureau under the Taiwan Ministry of the Interior and Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) announced the establishment of the Child and Juvenile Adoption Information Center (CJAIC) in ZinDian, Tapiei County to disburse documents upon request to all Taiwanese adoptees 20 and older. Adoptees under 20 can get their records with their aparents permission. The information center, mandated by Child and Juvenile Welfare Law Number 17, holds about 10,000 adoption documents and about 10 new documents are added each day. The July 5 issue of the China Press, quotes CWLF President Lin Jih-jiat as saying “It is our responsibility to provide a healthy, positive and happy environment for adoption families because we believe it is a good thing.” The center’s motto is “Convenient, professional, safe and reliable.” Lin, obviously a dangerous person whom the US adoption industry needs to watch closely, added that adoption should be “healthy and positive.” Imagine, Gladney or L-D-S or some whackjob Christian ministry…er, I mean agency (like this one)… or the NCFA Sultans of Continue Reading →

In April, Bastardette attended “Defrosting the Debate: Analyzing the Nexus between Adoption & Frozen Pre-Embryos,” a 1-day conference at the Center for Adoption Law and Policy at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. The conference gathered legal scholars from across the country to discuss assisted repro law and policy. Among topics covered were the legal status of pre-embryos and their “parents,” how different countries deal legally with pre-embryos, and ethical considerations associated with children whose adoptions stem from assisted reproduction–including those “adopted” as embryos–so-called “Snowflake Babies.” I was especially interested in the ethical implications of embryo “adoption” (which is not adoption but a property transfer) and the right to identity and heritage. With the exception of one panel member who shared my concerns, the idea that the parents of “adopted” embryos would never get around to telling their now fully realized kids the truth of their “adoption” much less their “creation” seemed ridiculous to them. “Of course, they’d tell them! Why wouldn’t they?” was the reply. When I reminded the panelists of traditional secret adoption practices and the LDAs (Late Discovery Adoptees), one “liberal” panelist replied, “That doesn’t happen any more.” Talk about falling down the rabbit hole! On Continue Reading →

In an earlier article, I opined that the Florida Adoption Act and its putative father registry (PFR) requirements were confusing, contradictory, and impossible for an unwanted father to follow. A Florida Appellate Court now thinks so too. In A.S. v. Gift of Life Adoptions (Fla L. Weekly D 1281a (Fla. App. 2nd Dist.))the court found that the Adoption Act did not apply to parental rights that did not exist. Instead, another statutory scheme had jurisdiction to determine paternity before an adoption was ordered. The National Council For Adoption (NCFA) criticized the A.S. decision, asserting that it violated the principle behind PFRs and undermined the Florida Adoption Act. I now rebut NCFA’s assertions. The Florida court held:“[I]n those relatively rare and unusual circumstances in which a putative biological father, who did not comply with [the PFR] files an action to determine parentage under chapter 742 before the conclusion of the adoption, [he] is entitled to resolution of the chapter 742 proceeding prior to the adoption If the…742 proceeding establishes [the putative father’s paternity] and that he is assuming the responsibilities that such a determination requires, then it appears that [the Florida Adoption Act] gives him a role in…withholding consent for an Continue Reading →

In case you’ve been wondering why Basdardette has been AWOL since mid-May, she’s been traveling, writing a couple non-adoption articles for publication, and generally goofing off. If you disbelieve, witness her latest adventure with the National Council for Adoption–documented. ***** I was in the Washington area in early June. Feeling mischievous I headed out to Alexandria one morning to check out the (relatively new) NCFA office. ( Now, I’d seen it before, but not up close. I was curious, among other things, to see if it still shared space with the wedding dress shop, which I guess is better than the liquor store next to the old DuPont Circle office.(Though I suspect, a handy liquor store may have been in order in those days). Of course, driving by just wasn’t good enough. Guided by our politically incorrect Muse, my Cowtown companion and I found ourselves taking pictures of each other in front of the building–and worse–doing a photo-op on the steps. We were obviously asking for it. Soon, I heard my name, plaintifly wafting through the air, followed by half the NCFA staff trooping out the door to greet us: Lee Allen (Director of Communications), Mary Green (Administrative Director), and Continue Reading →

Recently, a Safe Haven fetishist posted to alt.adoption a blog post entitled“Don’t Throw your Baby in the Garbage”. While most of us would consider an admonition to refrain from such a method of disposing one’s offspring to be unnecessary, apparently Safe Haven do-goodersdisagree. I am sensitive to asinine warnings, because I grew up with a mother who was given to issuing them on a regular basis. Unlike the SH fetishists, however, she recognizes her own foolishness in issuing these directives, and has even been known to write about particular incidents in order to give others a good laugh. Here are some of our family’s favorites: When my younger brother, who stands over six feet tall, offered to open a window in her office, my mother warned him against accidentallyfalling out the window. My brother noted that given that the window was set low on the wall and was rather narrow, he’d have a heck of a timeintentionally jumping out the window, much less falling. Or the time that my youngest sister (probably about 7 or 8 at the time) walked into the kitchen to discover that mom was putting on some dried beans to soak.When my sister began to examine Continue Reading →