Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization
PO Box 4607
New Windsor, New York 12553-7845
bastards.org 614-795-6819
bastardnation3@gmail.com
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Bastard Nation Action Alert
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January 25, 2024
West Virginia Adoptees Need Your Help Today!
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DO NOT PASS HB4815 and SB153
HB4815 is a confusing bill that requires adult adoptees to apply UNSUCCESSFULLY to the West Virginia Mutual Consent Registry for their identifying information BEFORE they can apply for their OBC. It contains a petition process, and ”good cause” determination. To add insult to injury, the bill requires them to complete an infantilizing and demeaning one-hour counseling session with a social worker employed by the registry or a social service agency as if adoptees who seek their birth records, personal histories, and biological family connections are mentally or emotionally disturbed or even dangerous. The bill is in the House Judiciary Committee. Lead sponsor: Del. Josh Holstein.
SB153 is another nonsensical bill that redacts by default, all identifying information on the OBC unless a biological parent specifically authorizes, via a Department of Health consent form, the release of the genuine unredacted document. The bill restricts OBC access and will set a reactionary legal precedent: no other state redacts OBCs by default. This bill had 3 expedited readings and is now in the Senate Rules Committee. It could move to the floor at any time. Lead sponsor: Sen. Mike Anzinger.
The West Virginia Legislature does not hold hearings on bills and only depends on input from the public.
Please help us kill these bills today.
This is an open Action Alert. It is not limited to West Virginia residents or those with West Virginia connections. We urge everyone to participate. If you are in West Virginia or have a West Virginia connection, though, be sure to say so in your email or phone call.
Our friend, Barbara Flaharty Fuller, who worked on passage of the New York OBC bill and now lives in West Virginia is holding down the fort and leading the opposition. She needs help.
If you are in West Virginia and want to work on these bills on the ground. please contact her.at bfuller4wv@gmail.com
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Bastard Nation submitted our letter of opposition on January 20. We addressed both bills in one letter. Our letter is here and should help you writing your own.
Please join Barbara and Bastard Nation in in fighting these heinous bills –send emails immediately to the West Virginia legislature.
Below are cut-and-paste email addys for members of the House and Senate. They have been tested so they should work OK. If you get bounces let us know and we will correct the list. Phone numbers and other information about legislators are found in the House and Senate Directories.
david.adkins@wvhouse.gov; jb.akers@wvhouse.gov; bill.anderson@wvhouse.gov; trenton.barnhart@wvhouse.gov; jordan.bridges@wvhouse.gov; eric.brooks@wvhouse.gov; adam.burkhammer@wvhouse.gov; jim.butler@wvhouse.gov; jeff.campbell@wvhouse.gov; roger.hanshaw@wvhouse.gov; geno.chiarelli@wvhouse.gov; thomas.clark@wvhouse.gov; wayne.clark@wvhouse.gov; roy.cooper@wvhouse.gov; elias.coop-gonzalez@wvhouse.gov; vernon.criss@wvhouse.gov; kathie.crouse@wvhouse.gov; mark.dean@wvhouse.gov; mike.devault@wvhouse.gov; henry.dillon@wvhouse.gov;l ori.dittman@wvhouse.gov; joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov; paul.espinosa@wvhouse.gov; tom.fast@wvhouse.gov; bob.fehrenbacher@wvhouse.gov; dana.ferrell@wvhouse.gov; shawn.fluharty@wvhouse.gov; dave.foggin@wvhouse.gov; don.forsht@wvhouse.gov; geoff.foster@wvhouse.gov; joey.garcia@wvhouse.gov; marty.gearheart@wvhouse.gov; eric.griffith@wvhouse.gov; walter.hall@wvhouse.gov; anitra.hamilton@wvhouse.gov; evan.hansen@wvhouse.gov; john.hardy@wvhouse.gov; scot.heckert@wvhouse.gov; rck.hillenbrand@wvhouse.gov;michael.hite@wvhouse.gov; josh.holstein@wvhouse.gov;sean.hornbuckle@wvhouse.gov; michael.hornby@wvhouse.gov; johnpaul.hott@wvhouse.gov; eric.householder@wvhouse.gov; gary.howell@wvhouse.gov; dean.jeffries@wvhouse.gov;buck.jennings@wvhouse.gov; david.kelly@wvhouse.gov; laura.kimble@wvhouse.gov; todd.kirby@wvhouse.gov; larry.kump@wvhouse.gov; hollis.lewis@wvhouse.gov; daniel.linville@wvhouse.gov; todd.longanacre@wvhouse.gov; patrick.lucas@wvhouse.gov; phil.mallow@wvhouse.gov; keith.marple@wvhouse.gov; carl.martin@wvhouse.gov; jordan.maynor@wvhouse.gov; margitta.mazzocchi@wvhouse.gov; pat.mcgeehan@wvhouse.gov; george.miller@wvhouse.gov; erica.moore@wvhouse.gov; ty.nestor@wvhouse.gov; mickey.petitto@wvhouse.gov; chris.phillips@wvhouse.gov; jonathan.pinson@wvhouse.gov; chris.pritt@wvhouse.gov; elliott.pritt@wvhouse.gov; mike.pushkin@wvhouse.gov; bill.ridenour@wvhouse.gov; clay.riley@wvhouse.gov; matthew.rohrbach@wvhouse.gov; mark.ross@wvhouse.gov; larry.rowe@wvhouse.gov; andy.shamblin@wvhouse.gov; charles.sheedy@wvhouse.gov; doug.smith@wvhouse.gov; joe.statler@wvhouse.gov; brandon.steele@wvhouse.gov; jeffrey.stephens@wvhouse.gov; george.street@wvhouse.gov; amy.summers@wvhouse.gov; darren.thorne@wvhouse.gov;chris.toney@wvhouse.gov; heather.tully@wvhouse.gov; adam.vance@wvhouse.gov; bryan.ward@wvhouse.gov; debbie.warner@wvhouse.gov; steve.westfall@wvhouse.gov; john.williams@wvhouse.gov; jimmy.willis@wvhouse.gov;diana.winzenreid@wvhouse.gov; evan.worrell@wvhouse.gov; kayla.young@wvhouse.gov; mark.zatezalo@wvhouse.gov;
mike.azinger@WVsenate.gov; jason.barrett@WVsenate.gov; craig.blair@WVsenate.gov; .donna.boley@WVsenate.gov; mike.caputo@WVsenate.gov; laura.chapman@WVsenate.gov; charles.clements@WVsenate.gov; vince.deeds@WVsenate.gov; amy.grady@WVsenate.gov;bill.hamilton@WVsenate.gov; mark.hunt@WVsenate.gov; glenn.jeffries@WVsenate.gov; robert.karnes@WVsenate.gov; mike.maroney@WVsenate.gov; patrick.martin@WVsenate.gov; mark.maynard@WVsenate.gov; eric.nelson@WVsenate.gov; mike.oliverio@WVsenate.gov; rupie.phillips@WVsenate.gov; robert.plymale@WVsenate.gov; ben.queen@WVsenate.gov; rollan.roberts@WVsenate.gov; patricia.rucker@WVsenate.gov; randy.smith@WVsenate.gov; david.stover@WVsenate.gov; mike.stuart@WVsenate.gov; chandler.swope@WVsenate.gov; tom.takubo@WVsenate.gov; eric.tarr@WVsenate.gov; jay.taylor@WVsenate.gov; charles.trump@WVsenate.gov; ryan.weld@WVsenate.gov; mikewoelfel@WVsenate.gov;jack.woodrum@WVsenate.gov
Thank you. It’s the right thing to do!
New York Adoptee Rights Coalition
