This blog is for the mothers and adoptees of the Suemma Coleman Home for Unwed Mothers. This maternity home is now known as St. Elizabeth Coleman. This is about our experiences, our searches, our fight against the system of adoptee access and our beliefs. This blog does not reflect the opinions of anyone from this agency.
Monday, June 30, 2008
INTERESTING
I have found out that they are now doing international adoption homestudies. This agency also gets funds from the United Way. Their attorneys are Mercer and Belanger. Interesting again because these attorneys are associated with repossessions of homes. Yep if you have issues with your mortgage and are unable to pay, you will have these folks coming to repossess your home. Real bunch of good guys to have associated with adoption if you ask me. They appear to be ruthless. These guys are the attorneys associated with St. Elizabeth/Coleman. They seem to have some seriously big banks as clients.
Sickening absolutely sicking
Thursday, June 26, 2008
EXCUSE ME WHILE I BARF
Here is the story and the link.
State celebrating Safe Haven Law anniversary
Posted: June 25, 2008 12:21 PM
Natalie Hammond has benefited from the Safe Haven law. |
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The death of a five-day-old boy years ago has meant a new life for other children. Wednesday, a celebration was held at the Statehouse for the good that's come from Indiana's so-called Safe Haven Law.
The law came after a dark day in January 2000 when the body of a baby boy was discovered in the parking lot of a local hospital. A worker at Community Hospital North found the frozen body of a newborn boy who came to be known as Baby Ephraim.
Had the boy's mother left him outside the hospital hoping someone would take him inside? The mystery has never been solved.
But Baby Ephraim's death has led to better lives for a dozen Indiana children.
Natalie Hammond and Austin Gildea have benefited from the Safe Haven law.
"Now seeing Natalie and Austin here, it's extremely gratifying to see the fruits of our labor," said Bob Floyd of the Safe Haven Alliance.
The law allows mothers, who feel they can't care for their newborns, to leave them in a safe place, such as a hospital, with no questions asked.
Natalie's birth mother left her at Fort Wayne's Parkview North Hospital. She was soon in the arms of her new, adoptive family.
"I mean, it was dream come true. It really was. We had waited a long time and it was just fantastic. She's my baby girl," said Natalie's adoptive mother Theresa Hammond.
Now some of the people who helped get Indiana's Safe Haven Law passed after Baby Ephraim's death, want to make sure as many people as possible know about it.
"It's just essential that the Safe Haven Law continues to exist and that Hoosiers understand it exists," said Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman.
Lawmakers passed Indiana's Safe Haven Law in 2000. For more information on the law click here or call 1-888-510-BABY.
Monday, June 23, 2008
ADOPTEE RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION MEDIA RELEASE
Sunday, June 22, 2008
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE PRIVACY LAWS OF INDIANA?
Indiana code specifically seperates adoptees and their families from the non adopted. I was thinking about their Bill of Rights with their constitution.
"Section 23. The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen or class of citizens, privileges or immunities, which, upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens. "
Here me out on this one. Lets take a car that is being sold or even a house. The owner has sold this property to another person. The previous owner has relinquished all of their rights to that property right? They don't get new rights. They don't get the right to privacy with that property. Their names are on the title of that property. They have to sign their names on the old title stating that they are turning it over to the new owner. The previous owner knows who he has sold his property to.
I know adoption isn't about property. Isn't that how we treat adoptees? Adoptees aren't property.
Lets look at the birth certificate. Who has access to the birth certificates? The parents of the person and the person themselves have access to the birth certificate.
In Texas, a birth certificate itself is not a public record but the recording of the birth is a public record. It is written in the law that birth, marriage, divorce and death indices are all public record. According to Texas privacy law, everyone has special access to all documents that have their name on them. This is how Texas will be won. The records are already public with the indices.
Indiana is a little different. The Indiana Privacy legislation specifically denies anyone access to the adoption records including the OBC forever. The adoptive parents don't even have access to those records. Everyone else has access to their own records except those affected by adoption.
This is discrimination. If the non adopted don't have to ask permission to access their own birth certificates, then why do those affected by adoption?
What I think the law should reflect:
- Adoptees and their natural parents should have access to the OBC. Their names are on the OBC. According to privacy laws through out the country, we should have the special access. No one person has more rights than the other.
- The natural parents should have access to their relinquishment records. It has their name and their signature on it. It belongs to them.
- The adoption finalization belongs to the adoptive parents. It is their signature and their names on the adoption finalization. If the name of the adoptee is on it, then they too should have access to it.
- HIPPA information belongs to mother in regards to her medical information. The adoptee should have access to their HIPPA information.
Friday, June 20, 2008
INDIANA LAW UPDATES
So I checked on HB 1358. It states this:
Synopsis: Civil rights. Extends antidiscrimination and civil rights statutes to include prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, and ancestry.
It has gone to the judicial committee this year. We shall see what happens with it this next year. Yes I was paying very close attention to this one. Its been on their bill list for the last couple of years. The ancestry and national origin has my curiosity peaked big time.
Another bill that I was watching is HB 1113. It was actually made into a law. It is effective on July 1, 2008 but however it only goes back to June 30, 2008. It doesn't go all the way back to include all birth certificates.
It states the following:
Birth certificate fraud. Increases from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony the penalty for: (1) making a false or fraudulent statement when applying for a birth certificate or when applying for permission to inspect birth records; (2) altering, counterfeiting, or mutilating a certified copy of a birth certificate; or (3) using an altered, counterfeit, or mutilated copy of a birth certificate.
The actual law states:
AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.
(1) makes a false or fraudulent statement in applying to a local health officer or to the state registrar for a certified copy of a birth certificate;
(2) makes a false or fraudulent statement in applying to the state registrar for permission to inspect public birth records held by the state registrar;
(3) alters, counterfeits, or mutilates a certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a local health officer or by the state registrar; or
(4) uses an altered, a counterfeit, or a mutilated certified copy of a birth certificate;
commits a
Isn't the state changing birth certificates when they amend the birth certificate? So aren't they presenting a false or fraudulent statement with these amended birth certificates? It sure seems like it to me. I wonder if anyone will call them on this. So they can't be prosecuted for the amended birth certificates prior to June 30, 2008. I don't care if they are prosecuted but it could open the door for adoptee access.
Last but not least is the Snowflake baby issue. Yes Indiana did address this in a backward way.
The bill number is HB 1075. It went to the public policy committee.
The bill states:
Abandoned embryo adoption. Allows an abandoned embryo to be adopted for implantation by another individual under specified circumstances. States that a person who knowingly or intentionally destroys or discards an abandoned human embryo commits unlawful destruction of an embryo, a Class A misdemeanor.
Just some of the wackiness of Indiana.
ADOPTEE RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION UPDATE
The protest is fast approaching and we have some new updates for the protesters that will be joining us in New Orleans this July 22, 2008.
Monday July 21, 2008 all protesters are invited to meet in the bar/lounge of the St. Christopher Best Western at 8:30 pm for a protest orientation and to gain a sense of unity going into the following day.
If you are joining us in New Orleans, we still have rooms to fill for our block of 40 at the St. Christopher Best Western and our block due date is June 22, 2008. So please book your hotel reservations ASAP by calling calling 1-800 645-9312 and requesting the group Adoptee-Rights Demonstration.
Also, we’re still calling out for confirmation of people attending the protest, so if you haven’t confirmed your attendance with anyone yet, please do so at admin@adopteerights.net.
I thought it would be cool to provide everyone with a visual on our lodging, protest start location (La Fayette Square) and route to our destination (State Legislators Conference at the Ernest Morial Convention Centre!) Unfortunately the mailling list doesn't support images or graphics so I put an image of our route from google maps onto our home base ( www.AdopteeRights.net ) and you can see it in the same announcement there if you're interested.
We hope to see everyone in the Big Easy and if you have any questions please shout them out to the NOLA list or to Kali at admin@adopteerights.net
In Solidarity
The Adoptee Rights Committee