Letters to the editor
What adoptees deserve to know
The NJCC’s position seeking to amend A2557 with the introduction of an enhanced registry system for adoption sounds reasonable until one examines the companion Senate version S1087 and discovers that it already contains provisions that adequately protect the confidentiality of birth parents.
What is not clear is what restriction such a registry would place on access by the adopted person to “family history information,” medical, cultural and social, which the birth parents are required to provide.
As the father of two adopted children I absolutely oppose any amendment that would restrict access to this family history. A comprehensive medical history is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad spectrum of both physical and behavioral problems ranging from those resulting from hereditary conditions to those arising from abuse of the unborn child by the mother (for example, fetal alcohol syndrome and drug abuse). And knowledge of one’s cultural and social roots is integral to the development of a healthy identity.
One who would discount the importance of this information to the adopted person should reflect upon the relevance of such in his own life and attempt to imagine the void left by its absence, in addition to the profound sense of rejection that every adopted person must carry throughout his lifetime.
Furthermore, the denial of the right to this information by our government would further institutionalize the societal discrimination to which this class is routinely subjected, relegating its members to second-class status. It’s a matter of social justice.
For those who are interested in learning more about the issues confronting adopted people I recommend the book Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self by Brodzinsky, Schecter and Henig, and I implore all to read the proposed legislation so that each may develop an informed opinion.
Douglas R. Merkler
Blairstown
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