Tag Archives: Ohio Right to Life

My New Free Press Weekly Article–Ohio Right to Life’s New Infant Adoption Reform Bill: threatens birthparent rights; doles out tax credits

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Ohio Right to Life, either by design or ignorance, has co-opted adoption reform for its anti-abortion agenda, but fails to show how its bill relates to that agenda. Instead of setting realistic adoption goals such a streamlining foster care placement, capping adoption fees and in increasing funds for child/mother welfare services and foster care placement, it’s creating imaginary children for thwarted potential adoptive parents . Continue Reading →

Ohio HB 307: “Adoption reform” language used to promote reactionary adoption legislation

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The bill is promoted as an “adoption reform” package. with, no input from actual adoption reformers. This appropriation of “reform” language is akin to racist and sexist appropriation of language. In the topsy-turvey world of American politics African-Americans, for instance, who support black candidates for office are racists; women who support abortion rights hate women (and children.) During the baby dump campaign a few years ago, Bastard Nation, and myself in particular, were called “anti–adoptee,” with an implication of self-loathing.. “Do you want to see adoptees in little white coffins? the Morriseys liked to hector. (not that that question even makes any sense), but the meaning was clear. I’d rather see newborns die than be adopted out of the “safe haven” program, and that’s what they spread around legislatures. Continue Reading →

PAPal Therapy: Ohio Right to Life’s Quick and Easy Adoption “Reform” Hearing

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This afternoon I attended the first hearing of HB 307, Ohio Right to Life’s cheap and easy adoption scheme that I wrote about last month. I suggest you go there first for background.before you continue here. For those not so inclined, here’s a cheat sheet: HB 307: Continue Reading →

This is Not Adoption Reform: ORTL says, Let’s make adoption easier and cheaper in Ohio

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Bad news in Ohio.  Ohio Right to Life is ready to launch a new easy adoption  legislative project:   The bill isn’t filed yet, but  it gained traction Monday when the Columbus Dispatch  published:  Abortion foes focus on easing Ohio adoptions Since the bill isn’t up  yet, we can’t say what it says exactly, so I’m going by the Dispatch report only.  Here, is a  rundown from Mike Gonidakis,  adoptive father of two and President of Ohio Right to Life:.  . Decrease the waiting time for adoption finalization from 1 year to 60 days (Note: this seems to be a mistake.  Under the ORC, adoption finalization can currently take place no less that 6 months after placement.) Decrease the eligibility time a man can file with the Ohio Putative Father’s Registry (PFR) from 30 days  to 7. Require adoption agencies and adoption lawyers to inform fetal fathers (before the birth of the child)  that an adoption plan is being made; thus, giving them more time to file with the PRF (if they can find it) Increase the Ohio adoption tax credit from $1500 to $10,000 to be spread out over four years,  substantially offsetting the cost  of the adoption  Decrease Continue Reading →

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 →

For Ohio Adoptees and Parents: Ohio Right to Life PAC Endorsements

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For more than 15 years, Ohio Right to Life has been  the chief opponent of the restoration of the right of all Ohio adoptees to access their own original birth certificates  For ORTL, adoption is the loving option; adoptees aren’t. Ohio Right to Life PAC,  has published its list of endorsements for the March 5, 2012 Ohio primary. . The endorsements are for contested seats only. Since endorsement lists sometimes disappear from webpages after elections, I’m posting the list below for the record. .Incumbents are in italics.If you are in Ohio and any of these candidates are on your ballot, don’t let them get in the door.  For those who are in the door, give them your personal boot. 1.  Ohio has been redistricted and some incumbents may currently represent a district other than what they are now running in. 2. Some incumbents may be term limited and are now running for the opposite house..     Ohio Right to Life PAC Endorsements for the March 6, 2012 Primary Election Ohio Senate Endorsements Republican State Representative Randy Gardner – Senate District 2 Republican State Senator Peggy Lehner (Honor Roll Status) – Senate District 6 Republican State Representative Joe Uecker (Honor Roll Continue Reading →

Ohio Right to Life is So Thankful for Adoption: Adoptees Don’t Need Rights

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Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re one of those who don’t feel you have much to be thankful for this year, think again –unless you’re in or from Ohio, that is. Ohio Right to Life wants you to be thankful for adoption! ORTL, in fact, is so thankful for adoption that it got  together a few of its friends to tell us how thankful they are for it and us–who make their miracle happen. ORTL  fo decades has been the single greatest impediment to restoring records access to Class Bastard Ohio. ORTL loves us so much that it wants to protect us from our birth certificates and our rights. ORTL’s  hobby horse trumps the rights of thousands.of Ohio adoptees. ORTL: “Promoting Life” while screwing adoptees and their families. A drawing of her family  by Olivia Gonidakis This Thanksgiving, Ohio Right to Life is grateful for the gift of adoption as a loving and life-saving alternative to abortion.  Because November is National Adoption Month, it is important to take time to celebrate the selfless sacrifice of birthmothers and the gift of children. Join us by reading words of thanks from members of the pro-life family who have been adopted or who have chosen to Continue Reading →

Glenn Beck: Redux

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Ohio Right to Life now has a collection of pictures up on YouTube of the Glenn Beck’s  art project I reported on last week. Go below for a closer look at Beck, his faithful chalkboard, and 2500 fawning fans . Beck, like Herman Cain, the soon-to-be-dumped-wannabe-prez, is a performance artist –or tries to be. He lacks the irony to pull it off except for the artless crowd that represents American culture today.. Here, for instance, is Beck a few months ago on Fox, calling for a pre-emptive US strike on England to prevent it from re-colonizing America.. It’s all about the Beatles, doncha know: The Brits are in cahoots with the Chinese. They’re aligned with the Islamo fascists who also want to take over the world. Together it’ll spread into India, which Britain also used to own. The Brits, the Chinese, the Arabs and the Indians, everyone in this caliphate cabal is a tea drinker—that’s the link that ties the conspiracy together, they use tea as a form of mind control.” Beck said. “The fall of Egypt is not about freedom, it’s not about democracy, it is about an Islamic state, too much tea and rock and roll.” Although I Continue Reading →

Hangin’ with Glenn Beck So You Don’t Have To

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NOTE:  A slightly different version of this  was published by Columbus Free Press in the next day or so. I have written about Glenn Beck previously on the Daily Bastardette here, here,and   here.  Ohio Right to Life is the chief reason obcs remain sealed in Ohio. Glenn Beck is more dreadful than you think. Thursday night (October 27)  I attended Glenn Beck’s performance piece at Vets Memorial.  His appearance was sponsored by Ohio Right to Life to kick off its annual state conference and fill its operating budget (according to Beck) for next fiscal year.  Just buying a ticket wasn’t good enough. In a word of faith moment,  Beck ordered us to pull out the donation envelopes from our programs and hold them tight for the next couple hours as he  inspired us to stuff them with cash, check or credit card number.  From the looks of the beg buckets held by ORTL volunteers standing  beneath the exit signs when it was all over, Beck had indeed miraculously  turned envelopes into cash. Lying in bed the next morning I wondered just what I could write about Beck.  There must have been something in his 90 minute one man show Continue Reading →