The current AARA 2007 removes the possibility that an adoptee or a birth parent could veto the disclosure of their identifying and personal information to an applicant if their adoption order was completed after September 1, 2008
A birth parent might want their personal identifying information protected because of
· The adoption taking place as a result of rape or incest
· The adoption having taken place as a result of an inability to care for the child because of a mental or physical illness that they would rather not relive.
· The fact that they have moved on or away from their previous life and would rather not be tracked down or found.
· Having fled an abusive relationship
· The desire to protect their social situation and family from the potentially damaging influence of a person who may or may not be involved in criminal activity or negative social actions.
An adoptee might want their personal identifying information protected because of
· A satisfaction with their current life that they do not want interrupted
· The desire to not resume a relationship with someone who was once abusive
· The belief that upon relinquishing their parental rights, the birth parent relinquished any right to contact or relationship with them
· The desire to protect their own social situation and their families from the potentially damaging influence of a person who may or may not be involved in criminal activity or negative social actions.
None of these reasons go away just because an adoption takes place after September 1, 2008. The notion that birth parents and adoptees should no longer be in need of protection under the law is rooted in a post-colonialist framework that holds that the shame and marginalization that was felt as a result of adoption was a social construction that no longer holds true. While we believe this wholeheartedly, there are reasons for protection that go beyond marginalization and shame. There is still potential for an individual’s physical, mental and emotional safety to be compromised through the unmitigated release of personal information that fails to be addressed by the current policy.
L.
A birth parent might want their personal identifying information protected because of
· The adoption taking place as a result of rape or incest
· The adoption having taken place as a result of an inability to care for the child because of a mental or physical illness that they would rather not relive.
· The fact that they have moved on or away from their previous life and would rather not be tracked down or found.
· Having fled an abusive relationship
· The desire to protect their social situation and family from the potentially damaging influence of a person who may or may not be involved in criminal activity or negative social actions.
An adoptee might want their personal identifying information protected because of
· A satisfaction with their current life that they do not want interrupted
· The desire to not resume a relationship with someone who was once abusive
· The belief that upon relinquishing their parental rights, the birth parent relinquished any right to contact or relationship with them
· The desire to protect their own social situation and their families from the potentially damaging influence of a person who may or may not be involved in criminal activity or negative social actions.
None of these reasons go away just because an adoption takes place after September 1, 2008. The notion that birth parents and adoptees should no longer be in need of protection under the law is rooted in a post-colonialist framework that holds that the shame and marginalization that was felt as a result of adoption was a social construction that no longer holds true. While we believe this wholeheartedly, there are reasons for protection that go beyond marginalization and shame. There is still potential for an individual’s physical, mental and emotional safety to be compromised through the unmitigated release of personal information that fails to be addressed by the current policy.
L.
