Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
I wish you would explain your position as part of the survey, for it is difficult, as a politican, to answer a question without understanding the ramifications of the answer, and to answer with integrity without making a promise or position without full knowledge of the subject.
I believe that upholding human rights is extremely important. I studied the application of human rights to children in education as part of my degree.
The issue of rights around adoption is complicated. If the parents give up a child for adoption but have a condition on the adoption agreement where they ask not to be contacted in the future, then that agreement should be upheld, since it is a legal contract, and I believe in the right of the individual for privacy. If there is a human rights issue over whether having this kind of agreement upholds human rights for the child as well as the parents, then a committee or the Ontario Human Rights Commission should look into the situation and make a ruling/direction to parliament where it is illegal/legal for the parents to have a closed adoption record. There also could be more efforts made to contact the blood parents to see if they would be willing to open their record.
Therefore, my answer is 'I'm not sure' because it is an issue that I feel would require more consultation and understanding. If elected, I would be willing to work with your organization on this in the future.
