In his latest book, Adoption Politics, Dr. E. Wayne Carp, Professor of History and chair at Pacific Lutheran University, asserts that " the campaign for Measure 58 was won because of the ideology of Bastard Nation. This ideology was preached by Helen Hill and Bastard Nation for over a year." For the first time in adoption reform, Measure 58 framed the issues in terms of civil rights, rather than of medical or psychological needs. 

Dr. Carp follows the historic ballot initiative, Measure 58, from its inception at the first Bastard Nation Conference in Chicago in 1997, through the hard-fought signature drives of proponents Helen Hill and Shea Grimm, and on to the electoral campaign and ensuing court battles.

Professor Carp details the constitutional challenges to Measure 58 and he reveals legal arguments that were never publicized by the Oregon media -- issues centering on privacy rights that are crucial to understanding both sides of the issue and the hazards of initiative politics. Using correspondence and his own candid interviews with all the key players, Carp shows how both sides mobilized their constituencies and formed their strategies.

Professor Carp writes, "Bastard Nation had a strong advantage in its widespread and sophisticated use of the media, whether its members were appearing on TV, giving radio interviews, or placing ads on cable TV programs. BN's use of the Internet and its discussion list BEST not only provided the adoption activist group with an identity, but also provided it with a means of communication that was far in advance of the opposition. The speed with which BN was able to keep up with events and respond to them allowed it to keep ahead of the opposition during the Measure 58 campaign and build esprit de corps among the rank and file."

In his conclusion, Professor Carp concedes that the social upheaval predicted by the opponents of Measure 58 has not taken place. There just haven't been any such disturbances to date in Oregon under Measure 58, or for that matter, in other open record states, such as Kansas and Alaska.