Ohio–Breaking News–House Passes HB61

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The Ohio House today voted 94-1 with 2 abstentions to pass HB61 which restores the unrestricted right of OBC access to those in Ohio adopted between January 1, 1964-September 17, 1996.  It’s companion in the Senate is pending. Sadly, the bill did not pick up the ’96’s who will still be subject to a Disclosure Veto (DV) already in place for that access tier.. The truth is that Ohio Legislative Services, which vets all bills, refused to OK challenging  the DV law that amounts to an agreement between the State of Ohio and a handful of cowardly biological parents who demand that the government  grant them a special privilege to hide their identities from their adult offspring.  This “agreement” is quite different from the blanket sealing of OBCs with no legal  “agreement,” despite what opponents claim and we have shown repeatedly holds no water.  No one knows how many shirkers are on file here, but the number 20 has  been tossed around the last couple of years. I believe DVs can be removed from 1996 law, but the legal arguments need to be developed more fully, and the big fat arm of Legislative Services needs twisted..  I also believe that the foolishness of OBC access for all but Continue Reading →

Washington Battleground: The Annual Murder of Adoptee Rights Continues

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I For more than 20 years the State of Washington has been a battle ground for adoptee rights. Some years good bills go bad or bad bills go good; (for awhile); other years bad bills go badder. Even baddest bills are kneecapped by adopteephobic legislators and bureaucrats quivering at the softest echos of baby steps toddling down the halls of government. This year has been no different.  Two near-companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate.  The Senate bill (SB5118) was originally restrictive,  re-written clean, then re-written back restricted.  The House bill, (HB 1525),  remained restrictive throughout its campaign.  On.Monday, the Senate Judiciary voted out the House bill.  The whole process has become quite confusing, but as of today (April 3, the language of both bills is being matched Whichever bill eventually is enacted (if) Washington bastards will be saddled with more restrictions on  their OBCs.  Promoters, of course  will circle jerk themselves as “progressive” politicians  and “activists”  for allegedly “balancing the interests” of adoptees and birthparents and extending privilege to a few lucky ducks.while the state continues its headlock on OBCs. Unlike some states where the hammer is pounded by conservative anti-abortion groups and the Catholic Bishops, opposition to OBC access in Washington centers around Continue Reading →

Ohio History: Sealed Records Author said "parents don’t have to waste time on heredity"

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A few days ago while going over testimony for Ohio’s HB61, I found a most astounding story  from Ohio Birth Parent’s Group leader Kate Livingston.  It was taken from her MA thesis, which documents through primary sources and interviews the involvement of Ohio Right to Life’s big role in the continued sealing of OBCs in the state. (As far as I know Kate’s thesis isn’t online. It should be!) Testifying that the intent in sealing records has never been to protect the “privacy” of relinquishing biological parents Kate quoted Rep, Edward Schumacher, chief sponsor of HB 202, the bill that sealed Ohio’s post-1963 records”.  My bill closes the book on background, which is the way it should be handled. My law gives the child a clear [sic] slate. [Adoptive] Parents start right away providing the child with necessary guidance and direction. They don’t have to waste time on heredity. People lay too  much stress on heredity. It’s advisable for children not to know they’re adopted. If they knew, they’d be seeking to find out why they do certain things. If a kid knows he’s adopted, he has a crutch. ‘Oh, that’s not my fault,’ he’ll say, ‘that’s my [birth] family’s fault.’ I closed the book because knowing isn’t Continue Reading →

Washington: Bastard Nation Testimony on SB5118, House Judiciary, March 26, 2013–Oppose

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Below is Bastard Nation’s testimony in opposition to SB5118 submitted to the House Judiciary Committee for the March 26, hearing.  It it somewhat different from last week’s  SB 1525. Both bills are bad, each in their own way! SB 5118 TestimonyAdoptee access to their own original birth certificates Washington State House of RepresentativesJudiciary Committee March 26 2013 OPPOSE Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization is the largest adoptee civil rights organization in the United States. We support only full unrestricted access for all adopted persons, to their original birth certificates (OBC). We do not support any restrictions such as the Affidavit of Non-Disclosure, Disclosure Vetoes (DV), Contact Vetoes (CV), white-outs, or any other form of restricted access to a true copy of the original birth certificate. SB 5118 does not support the civil and human right of adult citizens who were adopted to unconditional and unrestricted access to their original birth certificate. The Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee did at one point propose a substitute bill* that citizens throughout Washington State, this entire nation and Bastard Nation would have, and did support. That substitute version has since been amended and the bill now continues the State of Washington’s discriminatory Continue Reading →

Lil’ Lori Asskicker: Watch Lori Jeske’s Testimony Against Washington HB 1525

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Bastard Nation Executive Committee member and Treasurer, Lori Jeske, spoke  before the  Washington State Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee on March 21  to oppose HB1525 which if passed, will continue to gut the rights of adoptees in that state. The bill not only retains the Affidavit of Disclosure Veto (and has only been used four times in 20 years), but a bogus “contact preference form” which acts as a DV to bar release of the OBC.  Not only do some Washington leggies fear bastards, but they lack an elementary understanding of the English language. Preference: noun1.  a greater liking for one alternative over another or others:          —a preference for long walks and tennis over jogging          —he chose a clock in preference to a watch      a thing preferred:          —my musical preferences are blues and swing        a favor shown to one person or thing over another or others:           —preference is given to those who make a donation Maybe we should take up a collection for a dictionary. Here is Lori in action! Bastard Nation’s written testimony is just below this entry.

Washington: Bastard Nation Testimony HB1525, March 21, 2013–Oppose

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HB 1525   TESTIMONY Adoptee access to their own original birth certificates Washington Senate Human Services  and Corrections Committee March 21, 2013 | Presented by Lori Jeske OPPOSEPrivilege is the opposite of rights Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization is the largest adoptee civil rights organization in the United States. We support only full, unrestricted access for all adopted persons, to their original birth certificates.  (OBC). We do not support any restrictions such as the Affidavit of Disclosure, Disclosure Vetoes (DV), Contact Vetoes (CV), white-outs, or any other restricted access to a true copy of the original birth certificate. HB 1525 is being purported as a bill that supports “adoptee rights”.  However, the bill continues the State of Washington’s discriminatory sealed birth records system.  While this bill would allow a substantially larger number of adult adopted citizens access to their original birth certificate, the bill continues to prohibit the release of original birth certificates due to the “Affidavit of Non-Disclosure” which serves a privilege for only four (4) citizens at the present time.   Affidavit of Non-Disclosure:  This form is onerous and only serves as a discriminatory privilege.  The Affidavit of Non-Disclosure was implemented into state law back in 1993 and applies Continue Reading →

Ohio: Hell Freezes Over Again. Ohio Catholic Conference Supports OBC Access

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Hell froze over in Ohio last Wednesday for the second time, when The Ohio Catholic Conference endorsed HB61, a bill  to restore the right of unrestricted OBC access to those person adopted in Ohio between January 1, 1964-September 17, 1996.  The access right of those adopted after that date is left high and dry due to the 1996 Disclosure Veto compromise which gives biological parents the special privilege  that no other person has, to bar the state from releasing the OBC.  Ohio Legislative Services  which nitpicks every bill  for legalities that crosses its path in  the Statehouse, won’t let that one go.Yet. Ohio Vital Statistics does not keep track of the number of DVs submitted  but it’s believed to be  a small number, perhaps less than 20.(I”ll be writing more about this later.) You can read Tobin’s testimony here. And,  here’s a picture of the relevant testimony taken by Linda Niehaus, whom I sat with: “…we are pleased to support HB 61.” (Posted with permission of Linda Niehaus)  The hearing started out with a whimper, but ended with a bang (apologies to TS Eliot).  About 45-50 witnesses and supporters from around the state attended.  Due to “floor business” the hearing, scheduled for 3:00 PM didn’t start until nearly 5:00 PM    From past Continue Reading →

Ohio: Hell Freezes Over Again

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Hell froze over again in Ohio yesterday when the Catholic Conference endorsed HB61 which if passed will unseal the OBCs of thousands of Ohio adoptees born between Jan 1, 1964-September 17, 1996. HB61 sailed through the House Judiciary Committee unanimously 12-0 and is now on it’s way to the House Floor. I have to go to work and can’t write anymore at the moment.  More later.

Ohio: Hell Freezes Over. Ohio Right to Life Supports OBC Access, March 6, 2013

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Hell froze over last Wednesday (March 6, 2013) when Ohio Right to Life, dropped its decades long opposition to OBC access and testified before the House Judiciary Committee  in support of HB61.  We knew earlier that ORTL had dropped its opposition, but its endorsement and testimony came as a surprise. You can read this historical  testimony on the Bastard Nation webpage.  The testimony begins: Some of you may know that for decades, Ohio Right to opposed opening adoption records to adoptees born/adopted between 1964 and 1996. The concerns of privacy and the repercussions for adoptive families, however, are fading with time as cultural perceptions about adoption have changed. Historically, arguments to keep the records closed were based on the idea that it would protect adoptees from potential embarrassment about the circumstances of their birth, or to protect adoptees from unwanted contact from birth parents. Frankly, these are outdated concerns, but it is this rationale that keeps 1964 – 1996 adoptees from being able to access their original birth certificate. Ohio law keeps these records closed, yet when the laws were revisited in 1996, it was decided that all adoptions finalized after that point are open unless parents choose to close their Continue Reading →

Ohio: HB 61 Sponsor Hearing Report- House Judiciary

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Wednesday (February 20, 2013) I attended the Ohio House Judiciary Committee Sponsor’s Hearing for HB 61, which would restore the right of OBC access to Ohio adoptees  born between January 1, 1964-September 17, 1996.  Those born after that date currently have access at the age of 21 (at 18 their aparents can access), unless a birthparent has filed a  Disclosure Veto with the state. Ohio Vital  Statistics does not know how many DV’s are on file (!), but the number is probably minuscule   Washington State, which has a similar law, reports only four DVs submitted since 1993, and all of them last year. Lawyer dirty tricks?  Senate Bill, 23 is HB61’s companion bill. . Both have bi-partisan support. Ohio Right to Life, opposed for decades  to OBC access for 1964-1996s, due to its belief that access to those old records would compromise “the state’s promise of anonymity” in adoption; thus causing women  to seek abortions now,  has dropped its opposition. ORTL President Mike Gonidakis told the press recently, “Historically, Ohio Right to Life has opposed efforts to disclose identities of birth parents.That position has thawed, for lack of a better term..” Goindakis credits the Internet with some of the change saying that “you can find Continue Reading →