Although I am usually fairly faithful in keeping up with comments, I found a buried request recently for information about searching in Washington State. Washington State does have the confidential intermediary system. My son found me through the agency in Washington that handled his adoption. It took them nine months to find me as I had moved several times over the years. There were also several name changes as well due to marriage and divorce.

Using confidential intermediaries... more

This reunion story is another of those stories that make you shake your head at the interesting twist in the story. An adoptee who searched for her birth mother discovered that ten years previously that she and her birth mother had worked in the same beauty salon. They had little chance to talk though or they might have discovered their connection at that time.

I know another adoptee who discovered that several years before reunion that he and... more

This editorial states that:

Adoptive adults deserve sympathy and support in reconciling with their fate. What they don't need is a proposed state law granting them access to records that make it easier for them to identify and contact their birth parents.

Adoptees do not need sympathy or support if their "fate" is adoption. They need their adoption records and should have a right to them. How insulting is it... more

Unlocking the Past - A State Senator's Awakening Ignites His Crusade For The Rights Of Adoptees is a news article about a state senator and mayoral candidate and his adoption journey.

Connecticut Senator Bill Finch was told when he was 8 or 9 years old that he was adopted. He says that even after that, it never occurred to him that he had "anything less than an idyllic childhood."

"It was only after I started having... more

Adoption reunion registries can sometimes match people quickly. However, most registries are mutual consent registries and only work when both parties sign up.

Many people are not aware of these registries which cuts down on the probability that they will result in a match. However, with the popularity of the Internet, I believe that more people find their way to registries every day. Reunite.com's registry currently has over 300,000 people registered. Below are some points to regarding the... more

In some reunions, there is an instant and immediate connection. The other party may seem somewhat familiar. There may seem to be many common interests between the two parties, and often many similarities in personalities. The more like minded the two parties are, the greater the probability that they may feel an instant connection.

Sometimes the two parties seem nothing alike. The person that they meet at reunion seems like a stranger, an alien. Nearly every belief that they have may be in opposition to the other party's beliefs.

In... more

Holocaust Survivor Refuses Reunion is a sad story. Whenever I hear about a birth mother refusing contact, I feel deep sorrow not only for her child, but for her. I believe that refusing reunion is partially due to fear and not understanding the positive benefits of reunion.

A reunion could ignite bad memories, Gottefeld said. "It might bring back all sorts of things that in order to continue to live, and not to become too depressed, to build... more

Mother and Child Reunion is one of those "feel good" reunion stories that warms the heart. Well, it warms your heart if you like the idea of reunions; not everyone does.

Then she began to panic. Her first thought: "How am I going to lose 20 pounds overnight?"

I could not help but laugh at the comment above made by the birth mother found by her son, and preparing to meet him. How many birth... more

This reunion story is about a young man adopted from Columbia as a baby who searched for his birth mother, and in the process made a movie about his search called, "Rebirth."

An interesting aspect about this particular search is that the young man who searched found that his birth mother had passed away ten years before he searched for her. Although he cried at hearing about her death, his search was worthwhile for him he said.

Chris Hallock... more

This article discusses accusations brought by ANSI (Adoption Support Network of Ireland) that the government reneged on promises made four years ago in regard to opening adoption records in Ireland.

The ASNI is the first National organisation of its kind to comprise of adopted people, natural parents, adoptive parents, natural family members and other interested parties whose lives have been affected by Ireland’s closed secret adoption system.

Reference is made... more