Adoptee rights activists protest sealed records at the Honk if You're My Daddy rally outside Century City in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 2nd.

Photo courtesy of David Winge, a founding member of Bastard Nation

The open records' debate is in full swing right now and legislation is currently being considered to unseal adoption records in several states. Grass roots efforts are preparing in many other states as well. For those of you who may not know, the biggest adoptees' rights' group is called Bastard Nation ("BN"). I respect and like their mission, but, I am not crazy about the name of the group!

Bastard Nation advocates for the civil and human rights of adult citizens who were adopted as children. Millions of North Americans are prohibited by law from accessing personal records that pertain to their historical, genetic and legal identities. Such records are held by their governments in secret and without accountability, due solely to the fact that they were adopted.

Bastard Nation campaigns for the restoration of their right to access their records. The right to know one's identity is primarily a political issue directly affected by the practice of sealed records adoptions. Please join us in our efforts to end a hidden legacy of shame, fear and venality.

There are also some state grass roots organizations which work towards open records, but, BN is the largest national group. A variety of movements are currently working for open records.

Another friend of open records and adoption reform as well is the American Adoption Congress, ("AAC"). The AAC has broader goals than BN and works in many ways towards improving adoption in general.

http://www.americanadoptioncongress.org/home.htm

Through education and advocacy, the AAC promotes honesty, openness and respect for family connections in adoption, foster care and assisted reproduction.

Concerned United Birth parents ("CUB")which I wrote a previous post about is another supporter of open records.

http://birthfamily-search.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/title-55

Why do many believe that the records should be open? For most adoptees and their supporters who want the records to be open, they believe open records to be a civil rights' issue. It is a simple straightforward issue even though it often gets clouded. It has been said that the only other adults who do not have access to their records are people in the witness protection program!