Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
Yes
Comments:
I was abopted when I was 2 months old in 1952 by my aunt Margaret and her husband Benjanin Verner. I was from a large family and abopted into a large family. My oldest sister was also adopted into my family, so I was raised with my sister. Benjamine and Margaret Verner were the finest people who ever lived. I owe my life to them. They had one child of their own, but raised 28 children (not all at the same time). They were honest with me and I knew, that I was adopted at a very early age. As a young boy I fantized as to who my real parents were (like in the movies, a Prince who was separated from his lover by death or some other misfortunate event) It was with some dismay that I found out that my real father was my crazy uncle Clifford. And then to find out that my mother was handicaped, sick, and died when I was two years old.
My point here is that all adopted children should know who there real parents are, even if those parents have unfortunate backgrounds. It gives the children a sence of history, of being grounded, knowing where they came from.
For example, one of my sisters got married when she was 24, that is when her abopted partents told here that she was abopted and has 10 brothers and sisters. This was a tramatic experience for her, however, it was with delight that she got to meet all of us, and most of us attended her wedding.
Abotped children should know who there biological parents are.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Larry Stevens, Libertarian Party, Kitchener-Conestoga
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
No, an adopted adult has not right to identifying information about his or her origins. A non-adopted adult knows his or her parents because they chose to raise him or her. In the case of an adopted adult, his or her original parents chose to put him or her up for adoption. By doing so, they gave up their responsibility to raise him or her in favour of his or her adoptive parents. Their having done so and their reasons for doing so are their personal information and no one has a right to that information without their prior consent.
An adopted adult wanting to identify his or her origins should ask the agency that mediated in the adoption for that information. If the agency wishes to process his or her request, it would charge the adopted adult a fee to cover the full cost of the process. The agency must then get the permission of both original parents (and any other relevant persons) before disclosing the information. If either original parent (or any relevant other) declines and the adopted adult later determines their identity, the adoption agency would then be required to compensate both original parents (or all other relevant persons) for its failure to keep the identities of the original parents secret. The full cost of such compensation (including all legal and other costs of the agency, both original parents and all relevant others), must be built into the fee the adopted adult pays. No taxpayers money must be used to cover any part of this process.
Under no circumstances, must an adoption agency or any parent (or other relevant person) who was involved in the adoption be required to disclose or agree to the disclosure of any information concerning the adoption without their voluntary consent.
This is my personal opinion and should not be taken to be that of the Ontario Libertarian Party or any of their other candidates.
No, an adopted adult has not right to identifying information about his or her origins. A non-adopted adult knows his or her parents because they chose to raise him or her. In the case of an adopted adult, his or her original parents chose to put him or her up for adoption. By doing so, they gave up their responsibility to raise him or her in favour of his or her adoptive parents. Their having done so and their reasons for doing so are their personal information and no one has a right to that information without their prior consent.
An adopted adult wanting to identify his or her origins should ask the agency that mediated in the adoption for that information. If the agency wishes to process his or her request, it would charge the adopted adult a fee to cover the full cost of the process. The agency must then get the permission of both original parents (and any other relevant persons) before disclosing the information. If either original parent (or any relevant other) declines and the adopted adult later determines their identity, the adoption agency would then be required to compensate both original parents (or all other relevant persons) for its failure to keep the identities of the original parents secret. The full cost of such compensation (including all legal and other costs of the agency, both original parents and all relevant others), must be built into the fee the adopted adult pays. No taxpayers money must be used to cover any part of this process.
Under no circumstances, must an adoption agency or any parent (or other relevant person) who was involved in the adoption be required to disclose or agree to the disclosure of any information concerning the adoption without their voluntary consent.
This is my personal opinion and should not be taken to be that of the Ontario Libertarian Party or any of their other candidates.
Jeanie Warnock, Green Party, Leeds-Grenville
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
Yes.
Yes.
Ron Yurick, Green Party, Algoma-Manitoulin
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
Every adopted person (and the adopting parents in the case of a very young person) should have the right to know about any medical, mental, psychiatric, genetic, etc. conditions in the adopted person's "biological" family, to the extent known, amongst that individual's parents and any siblings, and amongst the parents' parents and siblings, but on condition of anonymity for all of these relatives.
Beyond that, I feel that if an adopted adult wishes to reconnect with her/his natural parents or other "biological" family members, the government should assist in the process, but not go so far as to actually identify any of those other relatives if they wish to remain anonymous. That said, I understand that many people who've given up a child to adoption want to conceal their identity because they are fearful, ashamed, etc., and that it is these feelings that sometimes delay or even block a reunion.
Fortunately, such feelings are often overcome with time and maybe some counselling, and I think the government should facilitate that process by offering assistance to these individuals to overcome their "reluctancies". This could involve encouragement to seek counselling, and also serving as an occasional messenger to pass on communications from the person who is seeking the reunion but, again, only on condition that the "seeker" cannot learn the identity of the "sought" if they do not want their identities to be divulged. Hopefully, those individual(s) who are being "sought" will eventually agree to a reunion, but if they choose the opposite, my sense is that it should not be forced upon them.
Every adopted person (and the adopting parents in the case of a very young person) should have the right to know about any medical, mental, psychiatric, genetic, etc. conditions in the adopted person's "biological" family, to the extent known, amongst that individual's parents and any siblings, and amongst the parents' parents and siblings, but on condition of anonymity for all of these relatives.
Beyond that, I feel that if an adopted adult wishes to reconnect with her/his natural parents or other "biological" family members, the government should assist in the process, but not go so far as to actually identify any of those other relatives if they wish to remain anonymous. That said, I understand that many people who've given up a child to adoption want to conceal their identity because they are fearful, ashamed, etc., and that it is these feelings that sometimes delay or even block a reunion.
Fortunately, such feelings are often overcome with time and maybe some counselling, and I think the government should facilitate that process by offering assistance to these individuals to overcome their "reluctancies". This could involve encouragement to seek counselling, and also serving as an occasional messenger to pass on communications from the person who is seeking the reunion but, again, only on condition that the "seeker" cannot learn the identity of the "sought" if they do not want their identities to be divulged. Hopefully, those individual(s) who are being "sought" will eventually agree to a reunion, but if they choose the opposite, my sense is that it should not be forced upon them.
Anita Lalchan, Green Party, Pickering-Scarborough East
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
I believe that it is our right to have access to information about our origins.
I believe that it is our right to have access to information about our origins.
Andrew McAvoy, Green Party, Windsor-Tecumseh
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
Yes
Yes
Mike Kenny, New Democratic Party, Don Valley West
Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
Yes.
Yes.
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