Action Alert: Write Rhode Island House Today. Support S478 SubAA

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PLEASE FORWARD FREELY BASTARD NATION ACTION ALERT RHODE ISLAND S 478 Sub AA Rhode Island Adoptees Need Your Help Today! House HEW vote scheduled for 4:00 PM Monday, June 27, 2011 Tell House Committee to support HB S478 Sub AA– already supported similar bill a few weeks ago Make Rhode Island #7 H478 Sub A, amended and re-numbered to H478 AA, a bill to allow any adoptee 25 years or older to obtain a copy of that person’s original birth certificate with no conditions or restrictions passed the Rhode Island Senate unamously last week. Friday the bill, now re-numbered S478 Sub AA, was assigned to the House Health and Human Services Committee. A hearing is scheduled for Monday June 27, 2011 IMPORTANT NOTE: a similar House bill H 5443 Sub AA passed the House 66-0 two weeks ago, but will not be heard in the Senate. H478 Sub AA is the LIVE BILL. Despite the age qualificaiton (orignally 30, but reduced to 25 last week), which Bastard Nation does not agree with, we believe that since the House and Senate are already in agreement that the state’s adoptees have a right to their original birth certificates without restriction upon request, Continue Reading →

Bastard Nation’s Letter to Rhode Island House: Support S478 SubAA

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Bastard Nation, the Adoptee Rights Organization, the largest adoptee civil rights organization in North America, urges the passage of Rhode Island S478 Sub AA, which restores the right of all Rhode Island adoptees to access their original birth certificates without restriction, upon request. We are, however, disappointed by the age qualification of 25, set by the Senate, since the House earlier had voted 66-0 for H5443 Sub A which authorized the access age at 18, the state’s age of majority. That said, lawmakers in both Houses have already decided that Rhode Island adoptees have a right, as they did until 1944, to their original birth certificates, so it is imperative to restore that right now, and get a clean law on the books and working. We believe that in the near future, the access age set out in S478 Sub A should be and can be reduced to the age of majority in order for the adopted and not-adopted to be treated the same under law and policy regarding public document access. The age discrepancy sets a bad precedent. We are grateful for the support Rhode Island House Members have shown in the past for adoptees and our rights. We Continue Reading →

Send Thank You to RI Senate

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Please take a moment to drop a line to the Rhode Island Senate and thank members for passing s478 Sub A. Here is Bastard Nation’s letter: Thank you for your DO PASS vote on S478 Sub A, which restores the right of all Rhode Island adoptees to access their original birth certificates. We, are of course, disappointed that the amendment did not sunset or lower the age of access to the age of majority, as we and other adoptee rights activist had requested That is the next campaign, and we believe it will be successful! Restoring adoptee right to access, though, puts Rhode Island in the forefront of adoption reform in the United States today. Thank you. Sincerely yours, Marley E. GreinerExecutive Chair,Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization Below is cut and paste contact [email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected],[email protected]@rilin.state.ri.us,[email protected],[email protected]

New Jersey: What is a Conditional Veto?

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As expected, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed NJCare’s bad S799/A1399 bill; combined parts of the New Jersey Catholic Conference/ACLU, NJRT/Quigley S3672 badder bill, and submitted “recommendations” to create the baddest bill. Christie’s recommendation statement is here. While Bastardette is glad that Christie vetoed the bill, he’s on the road to creating an even bigger mess and maze for Jersey adoptees to travel. This new scheme, timed as it is, will make it more difficult than ever for the rights of all New Jersey bastards to be restored. I’m going to be away a good part of today, and won’t have time to analyze the changes; so I won’t have anything online until this weekend. I have A LOT to say! In the meantime, people have asked what a conditional veto actually means. Good question! The New Jersey legislature now has three options. (1) Affirm Christie’s recommendations making them law. (2) Override Christie’s veto and 799/1399 becomes law. There are not enough votes to do that. (3) Take no action; come back next year or when Christie is no longer in office and try again. Since Christie and the legislature overall want something “fixed” my bet is Option Continue Reading →

Good News from Rhode Island – YES!

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No details yet, but the Rhode Island Senate this afternoon passed S478 Sub A, reportedly 36-0, with a amendment to lower the age of access from 30 to 25. No sunset provision unfortunately. The bill now goes to the House. I doubt the House will balk since a few days ago it passed the similar H5453 Sub A with the access age of 18. Obviously, we are not happy that access age remains above the age of majority. We also urged a sunset to the higher age be added. That said, lowering the age will be a much easier than getting rid of a prospective only access, a disclosure veto or any other measure that codifies less than full disclosure,which Rhode Islanders were facing only a few days ago. Access Rhode Island, Bastard Nation (who has been working in an advisory capacity with ARI) and other Rhode Island activists have made it clear that this law will not be “complete” until every Ocean State adoptee can get their OBC at the age of majority. We’ll update you when we are.

New Jersey Update: Christie Will Conditionally Veto; Will Offer "Compromise"

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According to New Jersey ACLU Director Deborah Jacobs, Gov. Chris Christie is conditionally vetoing He reportedly has created a hybrid bill that is somewhere between the bad deform S799/A1399(Vitale) bill and the badder adoptoin indusry A3672 (Quigley) bill. Contents of Christie’s compromise won’t be known until tomorrow. This was just what I was afraid of. The nightmare continues. I believe everyone in involved in this battle just want it over with It won’t be. More information when released.

Another "Legalized" Illegal Baby Dump in Florida

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Short comment today. Tuesday’s Miami Herald published the area’s latest baby dump story, Newborn girl left at Coral Springs. (my emphasis) Several firefighters were in the Coral Springs fire station Monday night when a baby’s cry summoned them outside where they found a newborn girl. “She was wrapped in some T-shirts,” said Mike Moser, spokesman for Coral Springs Fire Department. “The child still had the umbilical cord and some of the placenta attached.” Firefighters took the baby to Northwest Medical Center where doctors examined her. She was in good condition. Then, she was taken to Safe Haven for Newborns, a state organization that works closely with private adoption agencies, Moser said…. where she was, (I say) neutralized, homogenized, and statisticalized into the “safe haven” system, never more to be seen or heard. Sorry folks, this is not a ‘safe haven” case. A legal dump requires that an infant to be handed over in person, not left in a basket, or box, or dropped in the grass like an old sock. The baby was left unattended outside a fire station. But why quibble with legalities? Apparently, the State of Florida treats illegal abandonment as a legal “safe surrender” abandonment, to cook Continue Reading →

Rhode Island: Bastard Nation Action Alert–Support S 478 Sub A and age reduction now! Make RI #7

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PLEASE FORWARD FREELY BASTARD NATION ACTION ALERT RHODE ISLAND S 478 Sub A Rhode Island Adoptees Need Your Help Today! Vote scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, 2011 Tell the Rhode Island Senate to support HB S478 Sub A Make Rhode Island #7 HB 478 Sub A, a bill to allow any adoptee 30 years or older to obtain a copy of that person’s original birth certificate with no conditions or restrictions is scheduled for a Senate Floor vote Wednesday June 22. Also scheduled, is the introduction of amendment to lower the age from 30. Read bill here. HISTORYHB 478 Sub A is an amended version of the earlier S 478, which included a disclosure veto. That bill also had provisions that limited original birth certificate (OBC) access to adult adoptees born after Jan. 1, 2012, or to those who are 40 years or older after the effective date of the bill. None of those provisions restored the right of OBC access guaranteed until 1944, for all Rhode Island adoptees. Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin supported this bad bill, and took a lot of heat after she told the Providence Journal she wanted to limit OBC access to older adoptees because Continue Reading →

Rhode Island: Bastard Nation Letter to RI Senate in support of S478 Sub A and age reduction

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Dear Senator: Bastard Nation, the Adoptee Rights Organization, the largest adoptee civil rights organization in North America, conditionally supports Rhode Island S 478 Sub A. Bastard Nation is happy that S 478 Sub A is clean, bill that makes the OBC available to all Rhode Island adoptees without restrictions. We do not, however , support the age qualification, which limits access to adoptees 30 years of age and older. We believe that adopted adults should be treated the same under law as the not-adopted. We, therefore, urge the Senate to extend access to all adoptees when they reach the age of majority. The age of majority is defined as “adulthood in the eyes of the law.” After reaching majority, a person is permitted to vote, make a valid will, enter into binding contracts, marry, enlist in the military, and purchase alcohol. Also, parents may stop making child support payments when a child reaches the age of majority. In most states, including Rhode Island, the age of majority is 18, but this varies depending on the activity. In no state does age of majority exceed the age of 21. Rhode Island Code: § 15-12-1: Persons of full age. – (a) Notwithstanding Continue Reading →