BASTARD NATION ACTION ALERT

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 April 12, 2018

South Carolina adoptees need your help today

Please contact the South Carolina Senate Committee on Medical Affairs today!

DO NOT PASS  H 3775

(Note: Many of us will be at the annual American Adoption Congress conference in Albuquerque next week.  A hearing date for H3775 has not been announced, but because of our week-long absence, we wanted to get this alert out now and be ahead of the game if a hearing is called while we are gone)  

A GOOD BILL GOES BAD

 Recently,  the South Carolina House Committee Medical, Military, and Public Affairs voted Do Pass on the amended HB 3775.

The original clean bill which, if passed. would have restored the right of all South Carolina adoptees to access their own original birth certificates.  It was replaced with amendments that gut the right of ALL South Carolina adoptees– current and future–from full access without restrictions or conditions. 

The amended bill:

• Makes access prospective only. That is, only those adopted after the effective date of the bill would be eligible to receive their OBCs at the age of 21– some time in 2040.
• But, those adoptees cannot receive their OBC without explicit written biological parent(s) consent

In other words, those adopted before the effective date remain in their black hole.  Those adopted after that date can be shoved into that black hole with them if a birthparent refuses to grant permission to the adoptee to access their own OBC.

The amended  H3775 is here.

The original  bill is  here

Here is amended language:

(b)    The original birth certificate and the evidence of adoption are not subject to inspection, except upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction. However, a person twenty-one years of age or older who was born in the State of South Carolina and who has had his original certificate of birth sealed due to an adoption may, upon written request to the state registrar, receive a copy of his original birth certificate and any evidence of the adoption held with the original record if the biological parent has completed a form consenting to the release of the original birth certificate. The form also must allow for the biological parent to indicate contact preference and to consent to release of medical history pursuant to item (1)(c).

 

Amended H3775:

• nullifies the intent of the original bill
• creates a two-tiered system of OBC access determined by date of birth/adoption and birth parent consent
• creates third-party approval for release for those adopted after the effective date of the bill
• cements state discrimination against adoptees
• leaves thousands of the state’s adoptees without a right to their state-held birth record

Some South Carolina legislators who support this bill say they would like to do more, but this is the foot in the door. But, something is not always better than nothing, especially when “something” only makes the restoration of our rights more convoluted and difficult.

If you were born and/or adopted in South Carolina, currently live there, or have connections to the state, please include that information with your request.

Bastard Nation’s submitted testimony to the House Committee on Medical, Military and Public Affairs is here.  ‘We will submit testimony to the Senate Committee on Medical Affairs and post it after the hearing.

HEARING INFORMATION

Hearing schedule:    As of today no hearing has been scheduled, but we expect one soon

CONTACTS:

Emails need to be sent through the template available on individual Senate member pages.  Click the name to get to individual member pages:

Thomas C. Alexander                           803 212-6220

Paul G. Campbell Jr.                             803-212-6410

Thomas D. “Tom” Corbin                    803-212-6100

John E. Courson                                    803-212-6250

Tom Davis                                              803-212-6350

Mike Gambrell                                     803-212-6040

Brad Hutto                                            803-212-6140

Darrell Jackson                                   803-212-6048

Kevin L Johnson                                803 212-6024

Marlon E. Kimpson                            803-212-6132

Shane R. Martin                                  803-212-6420

Margie Bright Matthews                    803 212-6108

Floyd Nicholson                                   803 212-6040

Harvey S. Peeler Jr.   (chair)              803 212-6430

John L. Scott Jr.                                  803 212-6124

Katrina Frye Shealy                           803 212-6320

Daniel B. “Danny” Verdin III           803 212-6230

 

TWEETS

@harveypeeler @KatrinaShealy H3775 Vote DO NOT PASS. This bill does not restore #AdopteeEquality in SC. All adoptees count, not some. Don’t leave thousands behind.

@SenPaulCampbell, @JohnCourson H3775 Vote DO NOT PASS. This bill does not restore #AdopteeEquality in SC. All adoptees count, not some. Don’t leave thousands behind.

@senatortomdavis, @BradHutto H3775 Vote DO NOT PASS. This bill does not restore #AdopteeEquality in SC. All adoptees count, not some. Don’t leave thousands behind.

@kevinljohnson, @KimpsonForSC H3775 Vote DO NOT PASS. This bill does not restore #AdopteeEquality in SC. All adoptees count, not some. Don’t leave thousands behind.

@senshanemartin, @margieBmatthews H3775 Vote DO NOT PASS. This bill does not restore #AdopteeEquality in SC. All adoptees count, not some. Don’t leave thousands behind.

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Bastard Nation  Phone 614-641-0294

www.bastards.org

@BastardsUnite