Tell the House to retain the original language of the bill– pass the bill as written Keep your letter short and concise. If you are a Louisiana-born adoptee tell them. If you are adopted, tell them. If you have a Louisiana connection, tell them. If you are a birthmother, tell them. Remember, this bill is about adoptee civil rights and the restoration of the right for all adopted people to obtain their own original birth certificates. It is not about search and reunion, claims of birthmother “confidentiality,” or abortion.
Continue readingMonth: March 2022
Louisiana HB 450: A giant step for Louisiana. Passed out of Civil Law and Procedure Committee
This morning, (March 21) the Louisiana House Committee On Civil Law and Procedure voted DO Pass on HB 450, a bill to restore the right of all Louisiana adoptees, at the age of 24, to obtain their original birth certificates upon request without restrictions or conditions. Due to the state’s “forced heir” law, peculiar to Louisiana, we are stuck with the age 24 timeframe, but all adoptees are covered. An attempt to amend the bill with restrictions was not accepted. We want to thank our friends Kenny Tucker (who btw, hosted BN’s 2002 conference in NOLA) and Elise Lewis for their hard work on this bill, and the bill’s sponsor Rep. Charles Owens…Below is our submitted testimony.
Continue readingVermont HB 629 passes House; on to Senate
In a remarkable turn-around the Vermont House today passed HB 629 .a bill that restores the right of all Vermont-born adoptees to obtain their Original Birth Certificates without restrictions or conditions. The bill also separates OBC access from the Adoption Registry, and does away with Disclosure Vetoes regarding OBC access currently on file. This is the first time that we know of where a restricted bill transformed into a clean bill and passed. The vote was 149-1.
Continue readingIdaho SB 1320: Bastard Nation Letter to House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee–Vote No
Bastard Nation and its members oppose SB1320 due to its discriminatory treatment of Idaho-born adoptees and its eccentric attempt to include the OBCs of intercountry adoptees whose records are maintained by the federal government.
As a prospective-only bill, SB1320 affects no adopted people living today; only those not yet born or even conceived. The law would go into effect technically around the year 2040 and leave everyone born and adopted before then locked and stuffed into the same black hole and Adoption Registry file cabinet that they are now.
Continue readingAction Alert: Idaho SB 1320 – Do Not Pass!
If you are reading this, it’s time to contact the Idaho House to oppose discriminatory SB1320, which would fail to restore access to any of thehttps://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2022/legislation/S1320/ estimated 59,685 adult adoptees of Idaho! SB1320, like the failed HB59 last session, is prospective (only for future adoptions). It also allows unacceptable restrictions (such as birth parent redactions). Help us say no in Idaho to SB1320, and appeal for clean adoption reform!
Continue readingVermont Update: (1) Bastard Nation Joins New England Adoptee Rights Coalition; (2) Last House Judiciary hearing on HB 629
Bastard Nation is happy to announce that we have joined the New England Adoptee Rights Coalition (NEAR) as a core member. Other core members are the Vermont Adoptee Rights Working Group and Adoptee Rights Law Center…Tomorrow, (March 9, 2022) the Vermont House Judiciary Committee will hold probably its last hearing on HB629 and a vote should be taken.
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