The Adoption Files

The Adoption Files

By Ande StanleyScienceSocial Sciences
Download on the App Store

The Adoption Files episodes

  • Interview on Adoptee Rights 101, with Lynn Grubb, president of Adoptee Rights Coalition

    Please join us for a discussion on Adoptee Rights 101, the dual birth certificate system and the need for unrestricted access laws. Lynn Grubb is the president of Adoptee Rights Coalition, an Ohio 501 C4 non profit educational project seeking to inform legislators and the public on adoptee rights issues.

    Mentioned in the show:

    Home | ARC (adopteerightscoalition.com)
    Concerned United Birthparents
    Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights – Dedicated to Equality for All Adoptees (gaallianceforadopteerights.org)
    California Adoptee Rights | Adoptees United Inc.
    California Alliance for Adoptee Rights on FB

    Michigan Adoptee Rights Coalition | Home (michiganadoptees.org)
    Home (naapunited.org)
    Dual Birth Certificate system: there is no one rule that governs adoption in the United States. The dual birth certificate system refers to the practice of issuing a true birth certificate to an individual at birth, and then, if the person is adopted, issuing a subsequent amended legal certificate that reports the adoptive parents as if the adopted person were born to them. Other details may be changed or omitted as well. The original is sealed and, in 36 states, kept a secret from the adopted person.

    Transracial adoptees struggle to talk to their White parents about race - Washington Post
    Disclaimer: the host is not a lawyer or a therapist. The opinions of the host and thier guests are just that, opinions. The listener is encouraged to learn more about the topics discussed, just as the host continues to strive to do. Thanks for listening!

    1 hr 14 min
  • The Burning Question: Will the Government finally decide I am a real person?
    The RealId saga continues. An update on where things stand, or, Ande decides to vent. mentioned in the episode: RealId: a new-ish form of supposedly verified identification that will be required to fly. Passports/US Immigration: the first is a form of identification issued by the latter that verifies a persons citizenship in the relevant country and endows certain protections to the holder. Necessary for travel across international borders. Homeland Security: the governmental entity tasked with maintaining national security. Created as a response to failures in national security measures pre-9/11. Disclaimer: the host is not a lawyer or government employee. The hosts opinions are the result of massive annoyance with a system that has theoretically been designed for the adoptee and the citizens benefit, but that often seems to function in direct opposition to its stated goals, and then walks away full of self-satisfaction; leaving the affected parties trailing behind, weeping and shaking their fists at the sky.
    22 min
  • Interview with Dani Joy
    Dani Joy is a mother of loss to adoption. Her son was born and adopted in the state of North Carolina, a closed state. Dani entered into an open adoption with members of her church. Please join us as we talk about her experience with adoption and it's life altering impact.
    Mentioned in the show:
    North Carolina relinquishment law:
    Termination of Parental Rights (nccourts.gov)
    North Carolina Adoptee access laws:
    Birth Family Search Information | NCDHHS
    Bethany Christian adoption agency: Bethany Christian is a pro-adoption agency that has worked in domestic and international adoption for decades.
    Saving our Sisters: Saving our Sisters is an organization dedicated to family preservation.They provide resources and assistance to pregnant people in crisis and to relinquishing parents seeking to regain custody of children they have given up for adoption.
    Home - Saving Our Sisters (savingoursistersadoption.org)
    Support Groups:
    Home - Saving Our Sisters (savingoursistersadoption.org)
    Concerned United Birthparents
    Adoption:Facing Reality
    National Association of Adoptees and Parents:
    Home (naapunited.org)
    Adoption Trauma Network (on Facebook)
    Adoptees Connect:
    Where Adoptee Voices Meet – An Adoptee Centric Connect Group (adopteesconnect.com)
    Mental Health Resources: a couple of things about mental health hotlines and resources. Very few resources are adoptee or first family centric. In addition, some are connected to policing, meaning that, if provided with enough identifying information, the mandated reporter may feel a duty to dispatch law enforcement if they feel your life is in danger. They can be a great resource; they should just be used with informed consent.
    14 Free Mental Health Resources - Parade
    Disclaimer: the host is not a lawyer or a therapist. The opinions of the host and thier guests are just that, their opinions. We encourage listeners to do their own follow-up research. Please educate yourselves on adoption and teh adoption industry. There are many great resources that you can use to learn about the lived experiences of adoptees and family.
    1 hr 20 min
  • Interview with Lina Vanegas, MSW
    Lina Vanegas MSW(Masters in Social Work) identifies as a transracial, transnational, displaced person. Her lived experience has motivated her to train, speak and consult on trauma, mental health, adoption and suicide. She shares some of her experience and expertise with us as we talk about how adoption impacts adoptee mental health.
    on Instagram: linaleadswithlove. On Twitter LinaLeadsWLove
    She can also be contacted at [email protected]
    Links to Lina's work:
    (1) Lina Vanegas - This is an important read. Forced treatment is... | FacebookOrganizing and Activism of Adopted and Displaced People - Bill of Health (harvard.edu)Demystifying the stigmatization of adoptee suicide | InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV)Coping with Loss from Adoption Suicide | InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV)We Need To Talk About Adoptee Suicide, Now | InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV)
    Mentioned in the show:
    Sealed adoption records: the modern practice of adoption includes substituting the adoptive parents names for the adopted persons parents names on an amended(falsified) certificate. Original certificates and adoption records are then sealed away and are unaccessible to the adoptee, with the exception of 14 states. In some cases, transnational adopted people have access at an age determined by their country of origin. This practice denies the adoptees right to their own information.
    Adoptees for Justice: Citizenship is an issue for many transnational adopted persons. Adoptees for Justice is an adoptee led organization working to right this injustice.
    Adoptees for Justice
    Rehoming: Rehoming is a horrendous, non-regulated practice wherein adoptive parents who feel they have a "failed adoption" seek to pass the adopted child on to their next "forever home". There are groups online that facilitate these practices, usually without any oversight.
    Right to annul adoption: adopted people do not currently have the right to annul or abdicate their adoption, even as adults. There are efforts being made in places like the UK to allow annulment.
    Greg Luce/Adoptee Rights Law: Greg Luce is a Minnesota adoptee who advocates for adoptee rights through his law practice. His website provides a great deal of useful information about the laws governing adoption in the United States. He is also active in advocating for citizenship.
    Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC
    Your Consent is not Required, by Rob Wipond:
    Your Consent is Not Required - Rob Wipond
    Looking for more information? We suggest checking out adopteereading.com, #adopteevoices on Twitter(x), adoptees of TikTok and on Instagram and LinkedIn. There are also many great blogs, podcasts, facebook pages and articles. You can reach out to Lina on IG and Twitter, or by email. You can reach out to me on Facebook or at ande.stanleyyahoo.com
    Article and hotline numbers for Black mental health:
    Ask a Black therapist: 4 ways to support Black people's mental health | CNN
    Suicide Prevention lines: These lines are provided with the caveat that some of these numbers are answered by people who are mandated reporters. This means that the information you give may result in a check the welfare call to law enforcement. Most locales have laws that provide for involuntary commitment when a person is considered at imminent risk. Some of these lines are considered Warm lines, which are generally not connected to law enforcement(as far as I am aware)
    List of Hotlines for Mental Health Help (psycom.net)
    Hotline - Trans Lifeline
    Disclaimer: The podcast host is not a lawyer or a therapist. The opinions expressed by the host and thier guests are our opinions.
    Thank you for listening to the show! Please leave a rating, they help make the podcast more visible.
    1 hr 33 min
  • Interview with VellaMae Travis

    VellaaMae Travis is an adoptee from the closed state of Kentucky. Please join us as we talk about being born and adopted in a sealed state, and the difficutlies of pursuing records in Kentucky. We also discuss adovocacy, being married to another adopted person, and the challenges of raising a child as an adoptee.

    Mentioned in the show:

    Kentucky adoption law:

    Kentucky | Adoptee Rights Law Center

    California AB 1302:

    California Adoptee Rights | Adoptees United Inc.
    Reunion registries: the idea of a reunion registry is that the adopted person and family members can sign up and the registry will facilitate connection. With the advent of DNA tests, registries are no longer relevant.


    1 hr 12 min
  • Interview with Lisa Elaine Scott

    Lisa Elaine Scott is a writer and filmmaker. She is a Baby Scoop Era California adoptee and the director of the upcoming film "All You Have is Love: Demand, Deception and the Infant Adoption Industry. Lisa can be found at:

    All You Have is Love: Demand, Deception and the Infant Adoption Industry
    Home - (allyouhaveislove.com)
    All You Have Is Love - YouTube
    Please use the site below to participate in making this groundbreaking work possible!
    All You Have Is Love: Demand, Deception, and the Infant Adoption Industry - Film and Storytelling | Seed&Spark (seedandspark.com)

    www.seedandspark.com/fund/allyouhaveislove

    Mentioned in the show:
    California adoptee access law:
    Adoption Records (ca.gov)
    AB 1302:
    California Adoptee Rights | Adoptees United Inc.
    CUB (Concerned United Birthparents:
    Concerned United Birthparents
    SOS( Saving Our Sisters)
    Home - Saving Our Sisters (savingoursistersadoption.org)
    Familiy Preservation Project:
    The Family Preservation Project – Where Moms and Resources Meet
    The opinion expressed on the podcast are those of the host and their guest(s). The host is not a lawyer, therapist, life coach or coffee drinker.
    Much love.
    Remember, go to
    Home - (allyouhaveislove.com)
    make a donation, sign up for the newsletter, reach out to Lisa if you'd like to participate.

    www.seedandspark.com/fund/allyouhaveislove


    1 hr 8 min
  • Interview with co-host Lynn Grubb and guest Lorraine Dusky

    Please join us as we talk with Lorraine Dusky, author of Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption, as well as the book Birthmark and many other books and articles. Lorraine was the first mother to come forward and publicly talk about her experience with loss to adoption during the height of the baby scoop era. Lorraine has been a vocal advocate of adoptee rights and unrestricted access to birth certificates for over fifty years. Her books can be found at bookstores and can also be ordered online at sites like Amazon

    Amazon.com: Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption eBook : Dusky, Lorraine: Kindle Store

    Lynn Grubb can be found online at

    The Adoption Experience | a podcast by Lynn Grubb (podbean.com)


    Mentioned in the episode:

    Saving Our Sisters

    Home - Saving Our Sisters (savingoursistersadoption.org)

    Roe v Wade:

    Roe v. Wade: Decision, Summary & Background | HISTORY

    Dobbs Decision:

    Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)

    Alitos draft opinion: Read Justice Alito's initial draft abortion opinion which would overturn Roe v. Wade - POLITICO

    Safe Haven Baby Boxes: legal abandonment boxes leased in some states from the Safe Haven Baby Box company, whic h profits from infants being anonymously deposited. For more information, visit Stop Safe Haven Baby Boxes

    Stop Safe Haven Baby Boxes | Stop Baby Boxes Now! (stopshbbnow.org)

    Florence Fisher/ ALMA, Bastard Nation:

    BB: The Adoption Reform Movement | Bastard Nation (bastards.org)

    Turnaway Study:

    turnaway_study_brief_web.pdf (ansirh.org)

    Reunion with a Grave: the experience that many adoptees have, learning the identities of family members only after those relatives have died.

    Birth Index: Every county in the United States has some mechanism for collecting and maintaining birth records, as do most countries. They may have different names, but serve the same purpose. Some birth indices are public information, others are not.

    The FOG (Fear, Obligation and Guilt) This term is not exclusive to adopted people. This is a good article by Derek Grimm that talks about his experience. I would expand the definition to include not just seperation from mother, but from our entire extended family.

    Adoption Fog | Search Find Become

    AB 1302: AB 1302 is a Mommy May I bill being touted as progress for adoptees, when the bill is actually discriminatory and with create additional layers of trauma for adoptees in a state that is already incredibly callous about adoptee rights. Here is a good article discussing the bill by Greg Luce of AdopteesUnited.org Please let California legislators know that you oppose AB 1302, and ask that the sponsor amend to make this a clean bill.

    California Adoptee Rights | Adoptees United Inc.

    Disclaimer: the hosts and our guest are not lawyers, or therapists or religious gurus. All opinions expressed are just that-opinions.

    If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, please reach out to someone for help. You are important. You matter. Below are some resources for people dealing with trauma, including sexual abuse.

    RAINN | The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization

    Help Prevent Suicide | SAMHSA

    Mental health support: get help - Canada.ca

    Mental health services - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

    Crisis support - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)

    Mental health and wellbeing – where to get help | Ministry of Health NZ


    Thank you for joining us as we spoke with Lorraine Dusky. Please read her book and share! Lorraine wrote the book in the hope that the information contained be accessible and useful not just to the public but also to educators, mental health professionals and legislators.

    Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption

    Lorraine Dusky, Author | Website | Books | Interview | Quotes - AllAuthor

    1 hr 44 min
  • The Cult-Like Aspects of Adoption Episode 6 with co-host Lynn Grubb and guest Rebecca Dragon

    Please join us as we talk with Becca Dragon about her blog article The Cult of Adoption and the cultural adherence to the adoption narrative. Becca is an adoptee rights advocate, a writer and the creator of a series of Tiktok videos. She can be found at:

    @GuaranteedHappy AdopteeTM

    @mythsmisgivings on FB and IG

    www.mythsmisgivingsmadness.wordpress.com

    Lynn is The Adopted Genealogist on FB and IG


    Mentioned in the show:

    https://youtu.be/POVRCjgv0Io Adopted People Have Two Birth Certificates

    https://www/tiktok.com/t/ZTRvKVEXd/ Space Dragons on Tiktok

    The Dunning-Kruger Effect: An Overestimation of Capability (verywellmind.com)
    Why Many People Stubbornly Refuse to Change Their Minds | Psychology Today
    Logical Fallacies: 15 Examples of Common Fallacies | Indeed.com

    1 hr 13 min
  • AB 1302, a California bill that would further diminish California adoptee rights
    A new bill from Republican representative Lackey would make adoptee access to original birth certificates in California even more difficult- something that seems almost impossible to imagine. Please contact state legislators and the governor to voice your opposition. Below are links to find the legislators and the governor, as well as links to Adoptees United and Bastard Nation. These last two track adoptee rights related legislation on the state and federal levels. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1302. https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/. https://www.gov.ca.gov/. https://adopteesunited.org/. http://bastards.org/
    4 min
  • Insufficient and deficient; a comment on adoption cruelty
    Part of the BITE model of cult like behaviors is the teaching that the family is deficient. I realize in the recording I use the word insufficient. I considered deleting the original version, re-recording and moving on from this embarrassing word substitution. Then I thought about the definitions of each word. Insufficient means not enough, inadequate. Deficient means not having enough of a specified quality or ingredient. Both have at their root the word facets; to do or to make. Both seem relevant to the treatment of our families of origin and to our treatment as adoptees. In this bonus episode, I will talk briefly about my younger adopted brother and his mom.
    6 min

About The Adoption Files

From the publisher's feed

The Adoption files seeks to provide a place for adoptees and allies to discuss the laws preventing adoptees from accessing their identities, and the emotional and physical challenges adoptees face in…

More shows like The Adoption Files

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories by Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

124 Listeners

Cate & Ty Break It Down by PodcastOne

Cate & Ty Break It Down

1,683 Listeners