RESEARCH PROJECT: BLACK MARKET ADOPTIONS

Bastardette received the following email the other day from Erica Efe Aghedo, a student at Harvard conducting research into black market adoptions. If you’re interested or know somebody who might be interested in working on this project, please contact Ms. Aghedo directly at [email protected].

Bastardette

[email protected]
Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 12:35:50 -0400
From: Erica Efe Aghedo [email protected]
Reply-To: Erica Efe Aghedo [email protected] Subject: Adoption Research

My name is Erica Aghedo and I am a senior at Harvard College. I am currently doing research in anticipation for the completion of my senior thesis on black-market adoptions. I am in the process of recruiting respondents for the research and Adam Pertman of the Adoption Institute recommended that I get in touch with you, in the case that you might know of anyone who is able to qualify as a participant for the study. I am particularly looking to interview individuals, who were born between the decades of 1930 and 1960 and who have proof that their adoptions were black-market. An example of such proof could be evidence that their adoption is connected to one of the institutions or individuals, such as Georgia Tann and Katherine Cole, who conducted illegal adoption practices in the earlier part of the twentieth century. Some of the areas the thesis aims to touch on are issues of identity of black-market adoptees, their search for their birth families, and issues of opened/sealed records and informants would be answering questions on these issues. Their responses would be kept strictly anonymous and serves the academic purpose of the thesis, which is to contribute knowledge to the topic> of black-market adoptions. Any assistance you are able to render–perhaps by placing an announcement on an email list or putting in direct touch with individuals who may be able to help–would be truly appreciated. I look forward to hearing back from you.Many thanks,

Erica Aghedo