Open records

It is clear to me that most of the readers of this blog are American. And that means that you are used to adoption being part of a free market based economy which again is based on demand and supply. And within that market, babies are little more than another commodity to be sold and purchased as dictated by supply and demand.

Suz: I have not stated my country of origin. But you can check out the laws of various European countries and find my country among those with open records. All A had to do was send a letter to the authorities stating that he wanted to know the names of his birth parents, and whether or not they were still alive. The law of open records, which also worked retroactively, was implemented in 1993.

A sent a letter, and was in return sent the requested information supplying him with the names of his birth parents and that they were still both alive. Simultaneously, letters were sent to each of his birth parents informing them that A had requested, and been sent, this information, and were they willing to have contact with him? please fill in this form and return in the enclosed pre-paid envelope.

Both reacted with a resounding 'no!'. They both thought they had buried their past mistake. Their replies were passed on to A.

A was too curious about possible siblings to let it go at that, and B and I were easier to find than his birth mother's children because of our surname, and as my sister is as easy to Google as myself and dad, and she can be traced to the same area as my dad, A correctly surmised that B had to be his sister.

The detective work required on A's part was pretty much non-existent.

That is what open records can do for you.

I am personally all for the open records law of 1993. Over time, I hope it will contribute to diminish all forms of shame in connection with adoptions. There are, of course, far fewer unwanted pregnancies in my country than before because sex ed is thorough and most young couples know how to practise safe sex. Abortion is also a free choice and we are luckily spared the oppressive presence of militant pro-lifers.

You may then wonder why my dad finds this situation so hard to deal with in such an open and liberated society.

All this happened after his contribution to the world of adoptees. And no matter how many laws and regulations introduced from top-down, and no matter the amount of sex ed, there will always be those who are ashamed to admit to having been sexual beings before marriage. There will always be smaller societies where various religious rules go before any form of common sense and shame is doled out in generous helpings following ancient scripts that have been interpreted and re-interpreted by narrow-minded men for as long as the same scripts have been in existence.

There will always be those who demand the right to point a finger.

And Suz, you may find it shocking that dad can't remember the name of the birth mother, but at least I am willing to admit that I can't remember the name of every guy I've slept with. I've had the odd one-night stand not worthy of mentioning in my memoirs. If that makes me a 'slut', a 'bitch' or just cold-hearted, so be it. I really couldn't care less. I guess I can just thank my lucky stars (+ condoms and the pill) I never had to find one of them to stick his name on a birth certificate. Sex is great, but let's not get all forms of sex confused with either love or rape.

Pat: thanks. I hope so too. It would be nice. Most of all, it would be nice if dad could shrug and say 'bygones' to the past and then see A as a valuable addition to an already rich and eventful life. I think they both deserve that.