February, 2001

Welcome to new members Ric (adult adoptee), Kathy (wife of an adult adoptee), Mike (adult adoptee), Sue (birth mom), Aleta (adult adoptee), Ari (birth aunt), Sue (adult adoptee), Kelley (adult adoptee), Richard (adult adoptee) with his adoptive mom Sharon and a welcome back hug to Peggy (birth mom)!

Thank you to Barry for stepping up and volunteering to take on the job of Finders Keeper's Treasurer!  We still need a Membership Chairperson, so if you can give a little time, please volunteer.  This person would be required to keep the membership contact listing up-to-date, as well as keep track of when 2001 dues are paid.

The following members have been ill... Jeff, Mary and Tim.  I'm sure all would appreciate a short note or card to let them know you've been thinking about them.

Congratulations to everyone who was reunited since the January issue of our newsletter.  Visit our "I Have Finally Found All of My Pieces" section to check out the reunions that have taken place!!

Members of the triad helped thwart an effort to pass a bill in Delaware that would give birthmothers only eight days from the time of delivery to make the difficult, life-altering decision to relinquish parental rights!  Thankfully, the bill was stricken and the present law prevails, which allows a period of six months.

The "Baby Dump Bill" is back on the table, Delaware senators and representatives will consider H.B. 68, a legalized infant abandonment law, when the full legislature reconvenes in the middle of March.  Why is this type of legislation a bad idea? These proposals do not address the root causes, they sanction cruel and irresponsible behavior, and they leave wide open the potential for a variety of criminal acts.  Read Mary-Lee's post on our discussion board.  Please write your legislators TODAY and let them know that BABY DUMP LAWS DON'T WORK!

Mary-Lee would like to put together an organized campaign to lobby against this bill.  Please contact her immediately if you are willing to volunteer some time to do some research, write letters, articles, and/or otherwise educate the general public and legislators on the true facts regarding baby dump bills.  Time is running out, so it's time to step up to the plate... the bill is schedule for review in mid-March.  One last thought... open records  won't do a thing to help that abandoned baby 18 years later.

For those members with a New Jersey connection, two bills have been introduced in the state senate regarding open records:  

S-1932 provides access to the original birth certificate to adult adoptees age 18 and over upon application, and also provides for any birthfamily member to add, provide a statement or further information to the OBC.  Please write the New Jersey legislators in support of this bill!

S-2002 provides access to the OBC to the adoptee only so long as the birth parent has not filed a disclosure veto with the state, and also provides a "white-out" provision, allowing the birthparent to ask that their names be removed from the OBC.  In the words of the originator who notified us via email of these bills "This is a horrible bill which infantilizes adoptees, and once more assumes we are not adults capable of dealing with our own birth information.  It makes access to our birth certificates a privilege based on the acquiescence of others."

You can make your opinion know by writing to the following NJ Senators:

Please remember to include your connection to adoption and to the state of New Jersey when writing.

FYI:  The Green Ribbon Campaign for Open Records publishes GRC_UPDATE, a free e-letter that comes out about twice a month when the legislatures are in session (or legislators are "in season") with news of the fight to open records to adult adoptees. To subscribe, all you have to do is sign up. To subscribe to Update, go to http://www.yahoogroups.com and register yourself as a user; then put GRC_UPDATE in the search box and subscribe. When things are hot, we will send you legislative alerts. When the lawmakers go home, we will publish a little less frequently and may include information on some other peripheral triad issues.

You can read about what happened recently in Little Rock and Albany and what's about to happen in state houses in Maryland and Missouri. You can get messages delivered right to your mailbox -- digest version is available but probably not needed because there is rarely one than one message in a single day -- or you can opt for web access and pick up the news when it suits you. And you can share important news you discover with UPDATE readers by sending the editor, Ann Wilmer,  a note.

The list of subscribers is growing and numbers are important when we want to be heard.  Even some state legislators have subscribed to the newsletter. If you're already reading UPDATE, pass this along to a colleague and, if not, please give us a read; unsubscribing is just as easy if you aren't completely satisfied that you're getting your money's worth. And please, feel free to cut and paste and share items of interest with your friends and encourage them to subscribe, too.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 28, 2001,  plan a trip to Washington, D.C., and put on your walking shoes  to participate in Adoption Odyssey 2001 - A March for Unity and Civil Rights in Adoption.  Over the next several months there will be several triad and general media campaigns to spread the word concerning Adoption Odyssey 2001. The media coverage will enable all of us, though unity, to spread the word about open records in adoption.  This year marks the 12th Anniversary of the March and Rally for Open Adoption Records in Washington, DC.  Please join the individuals and groups who are making a commitment to themselves, their families and the entire adoption community as they take a stand, through unity, and march for open adoption records. Though unity we can get our message out.  Help to spread the word, work for our common cause of open adoption records and make this the best march ever.  Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Dare to believe in your dreams - OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN RECORDS!!!

Rolling Stone magazine featured a MUST READ article this month entitled The Bastard Chronicles which summarizes an adoptee and birthmother's efforts to open records in Oregon.  Part 1 - Helen Hill's Crusade - How a pissed-off Oregon high school teacher fought to discover the identity of her birth parents and sparked a revolution that's rewriting the rules of adoption in America summarizes this adoptees quest to open records Oregon.     Part 2 - The Birth Mother's Story - At sixteen, Delores Teller gave up her five-day-old son for adoption. Twenty-seven years later, finding him would change her life and help spark a revolution.

The Terminal Illness Emergency Search (TIES) program has been replaced by Triad Searches for  Chronic Illness (TSCI).   Citing lack of volunteer support, it was with regret that Mary Peret, TIES Program Director, announced that TIES would close its doors.  The program does intend to see it's current cases through to completion.  Following on the heels of the TIES announcement came another for TRIAD SEARCHES FOR  CHRONIC ILLNESS (TSCI).  TSCI is a newly formed, unique search and reunion organization staffed by experienced searchers, board members and other volunteers. TSCI is dedicated to assisting adoptees, birth parents, and birth siblings diagnosed with chronic, progressive illness and disorder(s). Staff of TSCI assist in locating birth family members and their medical history information.  Applicants may register online and are subject to meeting specific screening criteria.  Upon acceptance, qualified applicants are assigned a search coordinator, a searcher and a case number.  Progressive, genetic, chronic disorders plague adoptees and birth families, due to the lack of family medical history. Current adoption laws (in most States) prohibit adoptees' "Right to Know" and prevent them from being able to access identifying and medical information.  Access to identifying and medical information would provide a doctor with the knowledge that is vitally essential in determining the presence of a disorder or disease at an early stage (based upon known family medical history).  Volunteers are both needed and welcomed. 

The next General Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 28th at the Bear Public Library in Room 1. Be prepared for another SURPRISE!! All I'll say is you never know who is going to cross your path in your lifetime, and why they do at a certain time.  Perhaps there's a clue in this observation that's currently circulating the internet and was shared by Barry: A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime...  Following the meeting, everyone is invited to Bob Evan's restaurant for some good food and friendly conversation.  Next month's meeting date Wednesday, March 28th.

Please plan to attend the next Search and Support Meeting at 7:30 p.m., on Monday, March 12th, at Sandy's home. The last meeting was informative, enlightening and supportive with the topic "The Whipping Boy".

When times get rough, or when life's troubles seem overwhelming, take a moment to read The Cross - things may not be as overwhelming as they seem - thanks to Cindi for sharing!  

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

We're still collecting register receipts for the Genuardi's fund raising program.  Keep 'em coming!! Bring your receipts to any meeting or mail them to Finders Keepers, Inc., P.O. Box 748, Bear, DE 19701-0748 .

Remember to visit the Finders Keepers Bookstore (an affiliate of Amazon.com) when you're shopping.   A percentage of your purchase will help Finders Keepers continue its purpose of helping families reunite.  Prior to ordering, you must click through the Amazon.com logo on the Finders Keepers site in order for our organization to receive credit for your purchase.  This DOES NOT increase your purchase price.   Amazon.com offers range of items such as books, music, video, toys, games, electronics and software.   You can use the search box below to find any item:

Send mail to searchde@aol.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: March 19, 2001