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You have all probably been wondering what NCCAR has been up to for the past months. I would like to give you an update. As most of you know we passed the CI bill last July and it went into effect on January 1 of 2008. Members of NCCAR were slammed to the wall on a lot of adoption blogs, and by individual members of the adoption community for listening to everyone on our email lists and giving and not going for the OBC bill or nothing. We gave people what they wanted and we have been hearing good things which have come from it so far. We knew that the system as written was not perfect and may never be. Since then, there has been a House Select Committee which has been listening to other changes to the CI bill which will allow for more people to be able to take advantage of it. Recommendations which NCCAR put forth were: Recommendation # 1 - Allow siblings and half siblings of adult adoptees to be able to participate in the program Recommendation # 2 - Allow for either an adult adoptee, adult lineal descendant of a deceased adoptee or the biological parent to be able to have a copy of the deceased's death certificate Recommendation # 3 - Allow for other family members of a deceased biological parent or adult adoptee to be able to participate in the program and finally Recommendation # 4 - Have the adoption agencies be held accountable for the CI program. This committee has heard from experts in the field. Adam Pertman executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute came and testified.:cheer: The opposition also came and testified. Tom Atwood from the National Council for Adoption (NCFA -nicfa):grr: John Rustin from the North Carolina Family Policy Council was at the meeting today and spoke on the behalf of YOU the memebers of the adoption triad. He stated that the CI Program should be LIMITED to adult adoptees and biological parents ONLY. HIS remarks are what I have below in the bold. He spoke against Recommendation's # 1 and 3, and stated why Family Policy Council believes siblings and half siblings and other family members of a deceased biological parent or adoptee should NOT be allowed to be a part of the CI program. Because "adoption agencies and departments of social services, under the CI program, agencies are actively searching for the biological parents of adult adoptees. Once the biological parent is found, the agency contacts them in an attempt to obtain their consent to be placed in contact with the adoptee." "If the confidential intermediary program is expanded to include the family members of a biological parents, even if a biological parent declines to be contacted, the agency could still contact other members of the biological family. If one of these individuals consents to be contacted by the adoptee, that individual could then disclose the identity of all of the other biological family members, including a parent or parent(s) who may have clearly indicated that they did not want to be contacted or have their identity revealed. This very realistic scenario could cause significant turmoil among the adoptee and members of the biological family. We ask that you reject this recommendation. Recommendation #2 - "Providing a copy of the death certificate of a deceased biological parent to an adult adoptee would disclose the identity of the biological parent, regardless of whether or not the biological parent would have consented to the disclosure of such identifying information. Utilizing various sources, such as an obituary publisihed in the local newspaper, the adult adoptee could easily identify and contact surviving spouse, children, parents, other relatives and close friends of the deceased biological parent. The deceased biological parent may never have disclosed the fact to these individuals that they had given birth to a child whom they placed for adoption. The disclosure of such information could cause significant family disruption and sully the reputation of the deceased individutal. The deceased parent would not have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the adoption to their family, nor would their family have the opportunity to understand the circumstances leading to the adoption. This situation could create an open wound among members of the deceased biological paren's family that oculd never be properly addressed because the parent is deceased. It could also cause dread among living biological parents who placed children for adoption when they become aware that their identity may be disclosed upon their death. We oppose this reommendation and ak that you reject it." There is another recommendation which will probably wait until after the short session. That is Recommendation #5 The Committee recommends that individuals who were adopted prior to the legislation that sealed adoption records be allowed to gain access to their original birth certificate. "Allowing access to adoption records established before 1949 (we have discerned the year is actually 1945) (or whatever date is chosen), while keeping all other adoption records sealed would create a double standard in North Carolina and grounds for legal action. In addition, such a change would represent the proverbial "camel's nose under the tent" with respect to opening all adoption records in North Carolina. Proponents of open adoption records would seek "uniformity" in the law in the form of opening all adoption records. We ask that you reject this recommendation. We recognize that as a member of the House Select Committee on Adoptee Birth Certificates, you have invested a substantial amount of time and energy working on these recommendations. We also recognize, however, that the public policy served by allowing closed adoptions and maintaining sealed adoption records in North Carolina is an extremely important matter. Many biological parents rely upon the confidentiality established when they placed children for adoption in North Carolina. Allowing non-consenting biological parents or other family members to be contacted without prior consent would result in the significant disruption of families across North Carolina and cause great harm to the public's perception of adoption. It would also eliminate adoption as a viable solution for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who desires to maintain her anonymity." For these reasons, we ask that you reject Recommendations #1, #2, #3, and # 5. Thank you for your consideration Sincerly John L. Rusin Vice President and Director of Government Relations Post Office Box 20607, Raleigh, North Carolina 27619 Phone: (919) 807-0800 I for one am at the end of my proverbial rope with agencies such as the NC Family Policy Council and the National Council for Adoption treating me as someone who is 'presumed' to do proverbial harm to someone else. :mad: I will be writing an email to Mr. Rustin, and I ask everyone on this email list to do the same. Also I ask you to forward this to any other adoptees, birthparents, adoptive parents, sibilings or other members of the adoption triad, and concerned citizens you may know of. I ask of you to write an email, or a letter to this agency, and ask them to PLEASE STOP SPEAKING FOR YOU. I don't believe any of the members of the adoption triad on this email list wrote to this agency and asked them to speak on YOUR BEHALF. If you have, then please let me know and I will remove you from my list. It is time that as a UNITED FORCE we show organizations such as this what the adoption triad is made up of. Let them know they DO NOT SPEAK FOR YOU or anyone you know. It is time we put a STOP to THEIR INSANITY!!!! If you send an email to Mr. Rustin (jrustin@ncfamily.org ) be cordial, and let him know not to speak for you, your family members or anyone else in the triad. Keep it civil and PLEASE cc me, and the members of the committee I have listed below. Margaretd@ncleg.net; Priceyh@ncleg.net; Nelsond@ncleg.net; Jeanf@ncleg.net; Melanieg@ncleg.net; Tyh@ncleg.net; Georgeho@ncleg.net; Earlinep@ncleg.net; Garlandp@ncleg.net; Tracyw@ncleg.net; Jenniferw@ncleg.net; Winkiew@ncleg.net I will be posting the actual letter from Mr. Rustin on the NCCAR website within the next few days. Roberta MacDonald Chair NCCAR NC State Rep - American Adoption Congress
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