The Adopton Industry Does the Innuendo: Misappropriation of Adoptee Rights and the Demonization of Ben Wyrembek

We can do the innuendo, we can dance and sing When it’s said and done, we haven’t told you a thing We all know that crap is king, give us dirty laundry …Don Henley Thursday night someone on Facebook pointed out that Jason and Christy Vaughn’s Save Grayson! Twitter account promotes their failed attempt to adopt Grayson Wyrembek as an “adoptee rights” issue. I’ve been reading the Vaughn’s Keeping Grayson Home webpage (KGH) and posting on its forum, but I have not seen this outrageous claim promoted there, at least in those words, though the implication is apparent. I checked “Save Grayson!” and sure enough: Save Grayson! @KeepGraysonHome is in His hands Share the love. Support adopted childrens rights & best interests. Always follow back. Call US+404/482-1585. Updates here & on Facebook http://ow.ly/34fdG http://keepinggraysonhome.com The term is qualified as “adopted childrens rights.” But, (1) Grayson was never adopted or even legally available for adoption and (2) the term “adoptee rights” is generally understood to mean the unequivical legal right of adopted adults to their own original birth certificates and other state records about our births and adoptions. “Adoptee rights” is not about the demand of adults to adopt a child Continue Reading →

Adoption as a Public Event: Media Perception and the Grayson Wyrembek Case

I’ve been working on a piece about the Grayson Wyrembek (Vaughn) case, and it’s gotten stalled. In the meantime, a lively discussion on the case developed on the Birth Mother-First Mother Forum. One of the topics up for discussion is media. I wrote a long reply, which got a little convoluted since I had to cut it up in sections to post. The post below is based on that reply, but longer and more detailed. ****** Media is all about perception. I have mixed feelings about media involvement–ie Public Relations–in disputed adoption cases. Not too long ago, adoption was a private affair and those involved were loathe to expose this private affair for public scrutiny. It’s become apparent since Baby Jessica and Baby Dick, (not to mention the Internet), however, that adoption is a public event. Today, getting the media on “your side”when things go wrong is essential to the good public opinion people feel they need in these cases, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with legal outcomes. In a sane world PR would be considered a total waste of time and resources. I don’t like to see little potential adoptees and those already adopted paraded Continue Reading →