Demonstration in New York City on Nov 23rd
Unsealed Initiative has organized another Adoptee Rights Protest at Governor Cuomo’s New York City Office for Friday November 22rd, 2013.
Meet at 633 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10016 at 11:30 AM
RSVP to the Event here on Facebook
Bring signs and friends! After the protest there will be a march and we will rally around the new film “Philomena” at a nearby cinema showing the film.
Tell Helene Weinstein She is Wrong
Helen Weinstein has repeatedly prevented New York State’s Bill of Adoptee Rights from moving forward for a vote on the assembly floor. SHE is the obstacle.
Once again Brooklyn Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, Chair of Judiciary Committee, has stepped in to hold A909 from advancing to the assembly floor for a vote. She has stymied our legislation and continues to say the birth parents were promised confidentiality which we know is not the case. Every non-adopted person can easily obtain their original birth certificate. Adult adoptees should have that same right. Having one class of people treated differently than another based on the circumstances of their birth is the definition of discrimination. This is a violation of adopted citizen’s civil rights!
New York, being New York, is also VERY IMPORTANT to the rest of the countries fight to restore OBC access to adopted people. If NY was to restore adoptees civil rights, other states could turn quicker. New York, it has been said, “sets the tone”.
Do You Want Your Birth Certificate from New York State?
Then make it so! Make this important. Do NOT make excuses! Please join us and let our voices be heard! We can no longer just sit back and say “pass this!” We have WORK to do!
If you cannot be there in person, please write her, call her, email her. As her “concern” is the adoption mythology of “birthmother privacy” , if you have a particular point to make on that side of the issue, it would be best.
Email Helen Weinstein about the need to support adoptee rights at: WeinstH@assembly.state.ny.us
Helen Weinstein’ s District Office
- 3520 Nostrand Avenue
- Brooklyn, NY 11229
- 718-648-4700
Helen Weinstein’ s Albany Office
- LOB 831
- Albany, NY 12248
- 518-455-5462
Below is Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein’s contact/address information page where you can also fill out her contact form and email her that way.
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Helene-E-Weinstein/contact/
Need to now more about the Battle to Free Adoption Records in New York?
The history of sealed adoption records in the US and the current battle in New York’s legislation to free them in parts I, II and II.
Thanks for following this issue! Here is what I wrote in Weinstein’s contact form:
Dear Assemblywoman Weinstein,
I am an adoptive mother whose son was born in NY State. I’m writing to encourage you to support the Adoptee Rights Bill. The latest psychological research on adoption, as well as the many personal testimonies of now-grown adoptees and birthparents, overwhelmingly shows that adopted children fare better when they have access to their personal history.
We are fortunate to have a good open adoption relationship with our son’s birthparents, who gave us a copy of his original birth certificate. They were just as upset as we were that the State of NY would not give this to him!
Openness and truthfulness are important values in our family. We feel uncomfortable that our son’s new birth certificate pretends that we are his natural parents. At least we have the original one so he can have the complete story. Many other kids in his position are not so fortunate.
If you are still undecided on the merits of this issue, I encourage you to study the research findings of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute: http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/index.php
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
Regards,
Jendi Reiter
Gold stars for Jendi all around! woot!
Does anyone know if Assemblywoman Weinstein may have a large number of Jewish supporters who may be influencing her position on this issue? A child is only considered Jewish if s/he is born to a Jewish mother. Some Jewish APs may not want to have information (i.e the OBC) that proves their child would not be considered Jewish according to Jewish law. Adoptees who are raised in the Jewish faith, but who are known to not be ‘Jewish born’, can have problems making aliyah (immigrating to Israel) and with other issues.
Recently we have become part of a state wide coalition of adoption agencies and child welfare organizations throughout the state to fight for passage of a fair and nondiscriminatory bill giving all adult adoptees rights. We are now a part of NYS Open Records Legislative Collaboration. The Child Welfare League of America is in support of Open Records for all Adoptees in the U.S. at age 18. Catholic Charities in Albany, The American Adoption Congress, Spence Chapin Adoption Agency in New York City, Holt International Children Services (a leading adoption agency), The Adoptees Liberty Movement Association, Adoption Crossroads, Manhattan Birthparents Support Group, North American Council on Adoptable Children, New York Foundling Hospital, Manhattan, Hillside Adoption Services, Rochester, Friends of Adoption, Queens, New York State Citizens Coalition for Children, Council for Families and Child Caring Agencies, Adoption Under One Roof, Episcopal Diocese of Albany and Center for Family Connections, Concerned United Birth Parents, OriginsUSA, Ethica, OpenAdoption.org, and Adoption Action Network all strongly support our bills. The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, the foremost think tank on adoption issues in our country has researched this issue with two important studies finding for adoptee access to birth certificates.