Rell said the bill jeopardized the privacy rights of birth mothers who placed their children for adoption with the understanding that their personal information would remain confidential.
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While acknowledging that the bill was "well-intentioned and much-needed in certain respects," Rell said the right to privacy is "a basic tenet of personal freedom" and the bill "violates that principle."
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Rell said she worried about the "chilling effect" that the bill would have on future adoptions.(Poitras)
Proponents of the bill, including Sen. Bill Finch (D-Bridgeport), criticized the governor's decision.
Finch said the legislature never sought to open all adoption records, which can include sensitive court documents regarding the termination of parental rights and potentially embarrassing personal information associated with such a decision.
"All we sought was access to the original birth certificate," Finch said. "And if I don't own my own birth certificate, who does?" (Poitras)
I don't know much about the mindset of parents who give children up for adoption, but wouldn't it seem cruel, almost, for the state to give those children to show up unannounced on their doorstep two decades later, demanding answers?
And yet, we all do want to know where we come from, and who we are. Right now adopted children can have access to adoption records, if the biological parents agree. It isn't a perfect system. If they say no, or can't be reached, what then? I can't imagine the frustration.
I can't decide whether this bill would have made things better, or much worse. So it's probably good that it remain on the shelf for another year.
Source
Poitras, Colin. "Adoption Rights Bill Vetoed." Hartford Courant 2 June, 2006.
11 comments:
To answer Senator Bill Finch's question, "Who owns my birth certificate?" the answer is the government. Not the parent (or birthparent) and not the child. The birth certificate is a record kept by the government to record parentage.
Brubenstein's suggestions "giving notice to last abode of the parent and/or publicating the notice somewhere for a period of time and if there is no response then the adopted person gets the birth certificate", are erroneous in many ways.
Let's break this down. Part one, 'giving notice' violates the very protection Gov. Rell sought to keep in tact - privacy. Giving notice to the 'last know address' violates the confidentiality promised the birthparent. For birthparents who placed as teens and young adults, their last known address is often their childhood home. The chance the birthparent's parent opens the notice is significantly high and would violate the confidentiality promised the birthparent. Many birthparents (especially birthfathers and some college students) never share news of the pregnancy and adoption placement with their parents. 'Public notification' is an even greater violation of privacy unless all identifying information published is that of the child's and none of the birthparent's.
Theoretically, for a 15-year-old birthparent, by 17 they are at an in-state (but out-of-hometown) college, by 24 they are have taken an out-of-state job (where a changed law in their state of placement affects them, but they are not notified of the change), and by 30 they have moved with their spouse overseas chasing a well-deserved and well-paid promotion. Not to mention mid-life and later in life travel, retirement, etc.
Part two, 'no response = release of birth certifciate to adopted person' is like saying 'guilty until proven innocent' for the birthparent. It should be assumed the birthparent requests privacy, before ascertaining they do not. The only fair and just 'default' is privacy. A birthparent is like any other young individual, moving residences frequently.
This veto perpetuates secrecy and lies. It infringes on the human and civil rights of adopted people and the mothers who were frequently coerced into surrendering their children.
An adoptive mother
i think closed adoptions are cruel and wrong i think closed adoptions should be against the law
i dont understand why we have to have closed adoptions they are just wrong
closed adoptions only bring problems
ban closed adoptions
end closed adoptions
people need to realize that closed adoptions are evil
closed adoptions are nothing but lies for the adopted person adopted people have to live a lie in closed adoptions thats cruel
closed adoptions is abusive
having to live a life of lies is cruel end closed adoptions
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