Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / December 2006

See

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_origins__061205_donaldson_report_3b_
wh.htm

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DONALDSON REPORT; WHERE ARE THE MOTHERS?

by Origins USA

http://www.opednews.com
   

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PRESS RELEASE....FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...
Donaldson Paper Misses the Mark By Omitting the Evidence of Mothers.

Richmond, VA December 5, 2006 - The 11/19/06, E.B. Donaldson Adoption
Institute (EBD) White Paper (Paper) entitled "Safeguarding the Rights and
Well-Being of Birthparents in the Adoption Process" missed the mark when
presenting the adoption industry's failure to protect the rights of mothers
by neglecting to include the people with the most experience-- mothers -- in
their representation.

Absent in the Paper is acknowledgment that mothers' legal and human rights
protections were contravened. However, there are vast numbers of women,
mothers who were denied due process, who have ample evidence of wrong-doing
in the past in the records they have obtained from the agencies, hospitals,
maternity homes, and physicians and their own testamentary evidence. The EBD
White Paper fails to cite these women in their document.

Omitted from the resource list were writings by some of the foremost critics
of adoption practice: Carole Anderson, Jean Paton, Rickie Solinger and
Regina Kunzel. Ample historical evidence exists, in the writings of these
researchers and others, that the adoption industry was aware of lifelong
harm to surrendering mothers. The evidence presents a compelling case for
the mistreatment of potentially surrendering mothers in the adoption
process. The issues presented warrant attention and public inquiry.

Absent, too, was input regarding reform recommendations from mothers decades
post-surrender, particularly the period in history, known as the Baby Scoop
Era (post-WWII to Roe v. Wade). Millions of mothers were forced to surrender
their infants during these years. Though the Paper primarily addresses
current practices and mentions coercion, the Baby Scoop Era provides a clear
picture of injustices to mothers and their children. More recent mothers,
whose parental rights were contravened, the only mothers represented on the
Donaldson panel, will often state that they are "satisfied" or "content"
rather than risk antagonizing the adoptive parents of their child and
threaten their contact privileges or compromise their own survival.

EBD fell short in their Paper because without the voices of the mothers who
have lived for decades with the loss of their children, and without the
voices of experience, no true and accurate picture of what changes to
adoption practice are needed can be obtained.

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For further information go to www.OriginsUSA.org



www.originsusa.org

Origins USA advocates for the preservation of natural families and, as a
last resort, alternative systems of child care that respect the needs and
dignity of both mother and child above permanent adoption separation. We
provide support for people separated by adoption, fight coercive adoption
practices, and educate the public and policy makers about the effects of
adoption separation. A national organization, we are internationally
affiliated with Origins Inc. ( NSW Australia), Origins Canada, and other
Origins branches in those countries. OriginsUSA has also aligned with
Tracker's International in the U.K. and with Adoption Crossroads in the U.S.

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Well all I can say is if it has anything to do with 'Trackers International'
here in the UK then little wonder Origins USA is taken little notice of as
serious contender in adoption reform.

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.eu

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