CONFIDENTIAL INTERMEDIARIES

I have to go here again. I have spoken with Indiana's four, yes FOUR, confidential intermediaries. I know that there are those who will disagree with me but I got to say it.

I spoke with Lori Baxter a year ago. She was fairly decent to me. Although she doesn't believe in adoptee access, she is a fellow adoptee whose story is similar to mine. Because another adopted family member does not want to be found, she doesn't believe in them for that reason. I have heard good things about her from several folks. She comes off as fair in my mind.

I spoke with Candy Jones in May 2008. She stated that she was a relinquishing mother who was in reunion for many years. She was also a member of Concerned United Birthparents and American Adoption Congress. From what I hear, she is no longer a part of the AAC. This is a woman does believe in adoptee access. She came off very kind and compassionate.

My CI was Catrina Carlisle. Truthfully she is a kind woman. Truthfully, it could be my records that are messed up and not her. When I asked her three years ago how she feels about adoptee access, she said that she supported it. She never once mentioned the "birthmother" privacy. She said that she had to follow the law and the adoption agency's rules.

The last one is who I spoke with last night, Kristen Lucas. I have to say this one at a screaming tone. RUN DO NOT USE THIS WOMAN. I get the strong impression that she hates adoptees and natural parents. This is a woman who needs to step down. She told me that she processes all the court requests for adoptees and first parents in Northern Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, and California. She quoted me the "birthmother" privacy. Now I know one thing with both the court cases in Tennessee and Oregon, there was never a document ever presented proving this privacy issue. That is why the adoption industry is now saying the privacy was presumed. Now I have talked with thousands of natural mothers all over the country. These mothers wanted privacy from the public eye but NOT FROM THEIR CHILDREN. I told her this. She tried to tell me that she has some of the records for Georgia Tann. She tried to tell me that Georgia Tann was still practicing adoption into the sixties. This horrible woman died in 1950. Her adoption agency ended in 1951. She also tried to tell me that there were open adoptions in the 1960s. I know better. Everything was closed even to the adoptive parents. Yet none of those living adoption were really guaranteed privacy. I have a letter from an adoption agency promising both the adoptee and the adoptive parents access to the original birth certificate for any further need at any further time.

She then tried to tell me that adoptees and first parents have major issues with their reunions. It was so bad that it made the news. Gee, I have been researching adoption pretty solid for the last three years. I have yet to find any such story out of Indiana. However what I have heard from those who have used her, that she is the one that causes a majority of the issues that these people face.

Hopefully we will get some more confidential intermediaries soon. Lord knows our choices are dwindling. Maybe we won't need them soon after we get the adoptee rights bill passed.