The Adoption Files

Please join me as I speak with Dr. Abby Hasberry, a transracial Maryland adoptee from a closed adoption. Dr Hasberry has a BS in African American Studies and Sociology, her MA in teaching K-12, and her PhD in curriculum and instruction. She is currently studying for her MEd to become a licensed marriage and family therapist specifically to address the lack of African-Amderican, adoption-experienced counselors. 

Mentioned in the interview:

Mutual Contact Registry: a mutual contact registry is a registry that allows adoptees to leave contact information for interested family members. If the family member(s) have left their own contact information or do so in future, the registry will notify the adoptee. 

Search person/Intermediary: a search person may be a person who searches for free, such as a Search Angel with the Search Squad, or a payed person who acts as a go-between. Some states mandate that adoptees utilize the services of a designated intermediary in attempting to obtain documents and make contact. 

Maryland Adoptee access to records laws: for an easy to understand overview of the states closed access status visit adopteerightslaw.com

Ghost Kingdom: the Ghost Kingdom is the space where an adoptees relatives live in their imaginations. It is a term coined by psychologist Betty Lifton

Brain-spotting: brainspotting is a form of therapy that utilizes the eyes and eye movement during talk therapy to assist clients in dealing with topics such as trauma and anxiety. 

Samantha is the daughter of Canadian parents. Her mother traveled to the United Kingdom to give birth, where Samantha was adopted by an American woman and her English husband. Listen as we talk about what requesting adoption documents is like in the UK, especially compared to requesting the same documents in the United States. 

Samantha is an artist and academic coach/dyslexia specialist. She has a BA in Metals Design, an MA in Visual Arts/Sculpture and a Post-Grad qualification in Dyslexia.  

She can be found on Instagram @samanthagwilles and through her blog: stoleninplainsight.weebly.com

Mentioned in the interview:

Mr Fairweather and His Family, by Margaret Kornitzer

The Chosen Baby, by Valentina Pavlovna Wasson

Adoption and Adoptee information in the United Kingdom:  

The General Register Office: www.gro.gov.uk: you can order birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death certificates from the GRO

The General Register Office is also where you can apply for your adoption records. You must be over 18 years of age. If born before 12 November 1975, you will need to attend a counseling session with an approved counselor first. To do this, you must contact the Adoption Council in the district where your adoption was filed. 

Hi! Welcome to another episode of The Adoption Files. Please join me as I talk with Lisa Ann about the challenges of being adopted in Iowa and seeking your documents. We discuss how so many of us must become detectives, utilizing DNA tests, learning to decipher the meaning of centimorgans and the perils of making contact with matches. 

 Lisa Ann is a closed adoption adoptee from the Baby Scoop Era, who authors the blog and hosts the podcast: The Wandering Tree. These focus on Lisa's experiences of searching and reunion, how the journey has been shared with family and friends and the impact it has had on their lives. 

You can connect with Lisa Ann viz the website: wanderingtreeadoptee.com  

Or, look for her via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Audible or other podcast platforms. 

Resources:

Dna Detectives Facebook page: A private page dedicated to helping people use DNA to find biological family for adoptees, foundlings, donor-conceived individuals, unknown paternity and other types of unkown parentage cases. This group is open to non-adoptees also. 

Adoption Reunions; Sioux City, Iowa Facebook group for Sioux City parents children and siblings involved in adoption through Florence Crittenton Home, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services or private attorneys   https:/www.facebook.com/groups/1758507587707530

Iowa Adoptees and Family Coalition Facebook Group: A coalition of adult adoptees, birth and adoptive family members joining together to change the Iowa laws restricting access to Original Birth Certificates (OBCs) and to educate Iowans about adoptin and searching. https:/www.facebook.com/IowaAdopteeRights

Iowa Department of Public Health 

HF855: signed into law on May 19 2021. Adoptees born before 1 January 1971 can receive noncertified copy of their OBC. If adoptee is deceased, an entitled family member may apply. https:/idph.iowa.gov/health-statistics/Open-Adoption. The new law does contain a redaction clause, worded as a contact preference form. If a parent does not wish to be contacted, they may fill out the form and all identifying information will be redacted. 

Family Tree Magazine Podcast: www.familytreemagazine.com/genealogy-podcast

DNA Painter: dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4  Use the tools found on DNA Painter to help demystify your DNA results. They have four tools that use different pieces of your information to assist in determining DNA relationships. 

The Leeds Method-DNA Color Clustering: www.dnaleeds.com/the-leeds-method: a spreadsheet that helps to sort DNA matches into color-coded groups based on shared ancestors. 

*Being real here. I had every intention of reading and absorbing all of the editing instructions and making this neat and clean. Or, if that didn't work, hire some eighth grader to mock me whilst taking my money to do it for me. I also thought my spouse would be well, and I would not be waiting to see if a neurologist could fit us into their schedule so they could take pictures of his brain. As I sit here typing this, all I can say is that the last six weeks have been challenging.Yes, I am throwing myself upon your mercy. Please listen to the conversations for the content, and ignore the technical difficulties. If I can't figure this sh*t out for myself by the end of January, I am finding someone to trade with who will teach me the ways of the editing suite. Until then, much love and gratitude for your patience and compassion. 

Please join me as I discuss adoption and the closed state of Georgia with adoptee Courtney Humbaugh. Courtney was born on Christmas day in Augusta, Georgia and adopted five months later to a family in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2010 she began her journey to discover her roots and her birth story. In 2020, she petitioned the court system in Georgia for her adoption records. 

Ms. Humbaugh works in the public relations, media and marketing industry. She is a former television news reporter and most recently has served the trasnportation indjustry with expertise in social media platforms, event planning, public speaking, medcia production and print design, Ms. Humbaugh holds a communication degree from Florida State University. 

Resources mentioned in the interview: 

Concerned United Birthparents: cubirthparents.org

Adoptees United: adopteesunited.org

Adoptees on, with Haley Radke: adopteeson.com

Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights: gaallianceforadopteerights.org

Lesli Johnson, MFT: leslijohnson.com

Adoptee-centric therapy:growbeyondwords.com

Kate Murphy: katemurphytherapy.com

Adoption attorney, state of Georgia: gababylaw.com

Please join author and blogger Elle Cuardaigh and I for a bonus birthday episode! Elle is the author of the book The Tangled Red Thread, and participated in the adoptee anthology The Adoptee Survival Guide. She can be found at ellecuardaigh.com, where she blogs about adoption and her adoptee reality. 

We discuss a WTF moment; one that far too many adoptees face. 

Elle shares a wonderful article given to her by her mother on the day of their reunion. 

Be forewarned! We talk about the recent Texas abortion restrictions, and whether adoption is a "solution." We have opinions, and not everyone is going to agree with us. 

Lora K Joy is the author of two illustrated books: NoBody Looks Like Me: An Adoptee Experience, and Goodbye Hypervigilance: Healing Adoptee Worries. She can also be found on her blog My Adoptee Truth, and @adopteelorakjoy on Instagram. Lora was featured on episode 185 of Haley Radke's podcast Adoptees On. 

Lora was born and raised in Indiana. Please join as as Lora explains the Four Things that guided her search for identity and her experience with her adoption files. 

Resources:

All the books! many of which can be found at: adopteereading.com   

Adoptees on,  podcast

Facebook support groups for adoptees

Today I talk with Author and blogger Elle Cuardaigh.

Please join us as Elle Cuardaigh and I visit dark places, discuss documents and enjoy talking each others ears off. Elle is the only person I know with crashing a funeral in her biography! 

Elle can be found at ellecuardaigh.com, where she blogs about her reality as an adopted person. She is the author of The Tanlged Red Thread, and participated int he adoptee anthology, The Adoptee Survivial Guide, edited by Lynn Grubb. 

Some of the things discussed in our chat:

Washington State Adoption Law

WARM: Washington Adoption Reunion Movement, warmsearch.org

Bess Gilroy Adoption Home/ Hospital

Adoptees Connect: adopteesconnect.com

HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a U.S. regulation that addresses privacy rules concerning medical information. 

Becky is a fellow Baby Scoop Era adoptee. Born in the state of Ohio, Becky is the Queen of Persistence. Please join us as we discuss her over THIRTY year pursuit of her documents and her identity; plus, antique tractors. 

Becky Conrad Drinnen is co-facilitator for Adoption Network Clevelands DNA Discoveries support group. She has written articles tor two adoption anthologies, Adoption in the Social Media Age and The Adoptee Survival Guide. She has also been a guest on Haley Radke's wonderful Adoptees On podcast. 

You will also note that my lack of editing skill is once again highlighted in this episode, as I do battle with the perils of unstable internet connections, and Becky patiently waits for me to get my act together. 

Organization mentioned in the episode:

Adoption Network Cleveland:  https://adoptionnetwork.org

Please join Lorah Gerald and I as we talk about requesting adoptee records from the state of Tennessee, and the threat of felony charges associated with attempts to connect with family.

 Lorah is an adoptee, a writer, Kundalini Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master and ordained minister. Lorah can be found at LorahGerald.com, and as the @theadoptedchameleon on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. in addition to her many other activities, Lorah provides virtual yoga classes, with a sliding scale for adoptees who wish to participate. 

Visit https://lorahgerald.com/adoptee-tshirt-presale today and tomorrow to pre-order adoptee Shirley Mackenzie designed t-shirt, with all proceeds going to support Adoptees Connect. Adoptees Connect is a non-profit dedicated to giving adoptees a place to be seen and heard. They have groups in 43 cities and 27 states in the United States, 4 groups in Canada, and their first group in the U.K. 

Resources mentioned in the interview:

Adoptee Rights Law Center: Adopteerightslaw.com

Adoptees United: adopteesunited.org

Adoptees Connect: adopteesconnect.com

DNA testing companies: ancestry.com, ftdna. com, gedmatch.com, 23andme.com, myheritage.com

Other items of interest:

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Domecon, or Practice Babies: 'Practice Babies': An Outdated Practice, Rediscovered : NPR

For any listener who may be contemplating ending their life, you are valued. You deserve to be here. You are worthy of life. Please call or contact a support person at one of the following: 

suicidepreventionlifeline.org  1 800 273 8255

crisisservicescanada.ca

nspa.org.uk

There are a number of facebook pages that are adoptee-centric. The Adoption Trauma Network is committed to supporting adoptees in a trauma informed context, and lists a number of resources for adoptees. They also run several adoptee only private support groups designed to provide adoptees with a safe context to share our feelings and experiences.  

Jude Conn is from the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area. She is a certified professional massage therapist and Reiki Master as well as a contemporary spiritual teacher and holistic life coach. She is also a Closed, Private, Stranger Adoption at two days old. Jude was adopted in the state of Virginia.  Please join me and Jude as we discuss the barriers that exist in procuring adoptee records from Virginia, and how we are affected when we are told that we are the result of a sexual assault. 

Virginia adoptee right to access: an adult adoptee has the right to apply for non-identifying information from their adoption files. The application is a one page document which must be printed, filled out, notarized and submitted for consideration. An adult adoptee may also apply for identifying information, but if they do so, they must show "good cause." The birthparent must consent to the release of this material, and the adoptee must include a signed letter from a doctor affirming that the adopted person has a serious medical condition that should be disclosed to the parent. The Virginia State Department of Social Services may deny any application without explanation. The adoptee must then appeal to a court of law and appear before a judge to make their case. This process is referred to as "Breaking the Seal of Adoption".