Beth Figuls is a Baby Scoop Era California adoptee.  California is nortoriously difficult to obtain original documents from. Please join us as we talk about how Beth obtained her identifying information. 

California adoption laws: Adoption Records (ca.gov)

ICWA:Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) | Indian Affairs (bia.gov)

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) | Indian Affairs

ALMA: As far as I can ascertain, this organization no longer exists. Perhaps it does under another name? Please let me know if you know. 

The opinions of the host and their guests are just that, opinions. The host is not a lawyer. 

Daphne Keys is a Baby Scoop Era Maryland adoptee. Please join us as we discuss Daphnes attempts to obtain her identifying documents, the recent efforts by Maryland adoptees to pass legislation guaranteeing access, and how taking up quilting has been a source of therapy. 

Mentioned in the show:

Baby Scoop Era: a period from 1945 to 1973 where a high rate of adoptions took place in the United States. Shame and coercion were common characteristics of this period. Similar practices occurred in other countries, with varying names given to the phenomenon. 

Maryland Adoption Law:  Maryland Original Birth Certificates | Adoptee Rights Law

SB331: A bill that would have allowed Maryland adoptees unrestricted access to their original birth certificates< regardless of year born .MD SB331 | 2021 | Regular Session | LegiScan

Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities is an arm of the Catholic Church that has been heavily involved in adoption for decades. 

Unadoptable: a term used for children who were not considered suitable for adoption, usually due to disability or medical conditions, and other factors such as race, age or undesirable appearance. 

The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, opinions. The host is not a lawyer. 

Mary Ellen Gambutti is a South Carolina, Baby-Scoop Era adoptee. She is the author of numerous pieces in literary magazines, and the author of several books, including: I Must Have Wandered: An Adopted Air Force Daughter Recalls, Stroke Story, My Journey There and Back and Coming to Terms: My Journey Continues.

Her new memoir, I must have wandered, can be found at: https://books2read.com/ap/ngkMkl/Mary-Ellen-Gambutti 

She can be found at : https://megam-author.com, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ellen-gambutti-author/, www.instagram.com/maryelleng.author, www.facebook.com/M.E.Gambutti.Author/, twitter.com/melcmg

Mentioned in the show:

South Carolina Adoption Law: South Carolina Original Birth Certificates | Adoptee Rights Law

Baby Scoop Era: Baby Scoop Era - Wikipedia

The age of reason in the Catholic Church: Age of reason catholic (elrenosacredheart.com)

Ghost Kingdom: the imgainary family created by adoptees to fill in for the missing family lost through adoption

The FOG: sometimes referred to as Fear, Obligation, Guilt. The Fog for adoptees are the coping mechanisms adoptees develop in order to deal with the trauma of adoption when they lack the language and support system needed to navigate the loss at the root of adoption. 

The opinions expressed in the podcast are just that, opinions. The host is not a lawyer. 

Annie Oxborough is a New Zealand Baby Scoop Era adoptee. She is the author of the newly released book Where the Fuck is my Mother, illustrated by her brother Sparrow Phillips, a New Zealand artist.  Annie can be found at: 

 annieo.co.nz https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083122489253 and insta handle https://www.instagram.com/the_adopted_girl/. https://www.amazon.com/Where-Fuck-My-Mother-grown-up-ebook/dp/B0BCQX87RC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1H2DEYSIRAGHH&keywords=where+the+fuck+is+my+mother&qid=1664391677&sprefix=where+the+fuck+is+my+mother%2Caps%2C258&sr=8-1 

You can find Sparrow Phillips at: www.component.co.nz

 Mentioned in the show:

 The  Adoption Act of 1955: Adoption Act 1955 No 93 (as at 28 October 2021), Public Act Contents – New Zealand Legislation

Royal Commission of Inquiry: Home | Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry

Adult Adoption Information Act: Adult Adoption Information Act 1985 No 127 (as at 28 October 2021), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation

Bethany Salvation Army: Bethany Centre | The Salvation Army

Private Members BillMembers' bills - New Zealand Parliament (www.parliament.nz) 

www.adopteereading.com

Mental health issues, including anorexia, bipolar disorder and depression. If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to your local mental health network. Listed here are just a few. 

New Zealand Mental Health: Home | Mental Health Foundation

Australia Mental Health: Mental Health Australia | (mhaustralia.org)

United Kingdom Mental Health: Mental Health UK - Forward Together (mentalhealth-uk.org)

Canada Mental Health: Mental health services - Canada.ca

USA Mental Health: National Hotline for Mental Health Crises and Suicide Prevention | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Disclaimers: the opinions voiced by the host and their guests are just that, opinions. The host is not a lawyer or a therapist. 

Please join me as i speak with:

Lynne Miller, Late Discovery Adoptee and writer at the blog adopteerevelations.com

Laureen Pittman: adoptee, author of the Lies that Bind

Andrea Coates: adoptee ally, search angel and LCSW

Lynn Grubb: adoptee, adoptee advocate, author of Hidden Identity

Plenary Adoption: plenary adoption, as practiced in many places including the United States, is a form of adoption that terminates the relationship between an adoptees family and the adoptee. Records are usually sealed and unavailable to the adoptee, even as an adult. In most cases, adoptive parents are given the option to replace the adopted persons original birth certificate with a legal fiction that changes the adoptees name and may also alter details such as place of birth, race and nationality, 

The opinions of the host and their guests are just that: our opinions

Adoptee/non adoptee conversations are especially crucial as we confront the consequences of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court, overturning Roe v Wade. The decision has profound implications for adoption, the child welfare system, family preservation efforts and human rights. As the responsibility shifts to the states, adoptees will increasingly need kept people to ally themselves with the adoptee community to enact legislation protecting our rights to our own identities and agency. This statement does not ignore all of the other fuckery involved in the denial of womens reproductive rights. This is an adoptee advocacy platform. Adoption is not the solution to abortion. Stop conflating adoption with abortion. Thank you

Please join me as I speak with Renee Gelin, mom of a son lost to an unnecessary adoption. She is also the founder and president of the organization, Saving our Sisters. Renee and I discuss her experience with the adoption industry, which motivated her to advocate for other women in crisis. Renee is an avid ally of adoptees as well. 

Renees' organization can be found at savingoursistersadoption.org Saving our Sisters works to assist pregnant women in making informed decisions about their pregnancies, and to provide assistance so that they can avoid applying permanent solutions to temporary situations. 

Mentioned in the show:

Parentfinders: a website whose purpose is to funnel women in crisis into the adoption industry

Books: basically catalogs of slick advertising campaigns designed to persuade women in crisis to choose a prospective adoptive parent or PAP to raise their child

Gladney Adoption Agency: an adoption agency 

Open Adoption: an arrangement whereby ongoing contact is maintained between the adoptee and their family of origin. These agreements must be written into the contract at the time of termination of parental rights. Even if this occurs, open adoption agreements are not generally enforceable. The adoption industry advertises open adoptions while actually using the idea of open adoption to persuade parents to surrender children. Their idea of open is to simply encourage adoptive parents to disclose the adoption to the adoptee. 

The Primal Wound, by Nancy Verrier. A book written by an adoptive parent based on her observations of the effect of adoption on adoptees.

The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van der Kolk. The Body Keeps the Score - Wikipedia

Persuasive Coercion: coercive practices that are emotional and psychological in nature, rather than by force or threat of violence

Florida Adoption law: adopteerightslaw.com, Consumer Pamphlet: Adoption In Florida – The Florida Bar

Disclaimer: the opinions of the host and their guest are just that, our opinions.