"Transparency is seen as the antidote to corruption because secrecy is, if not its cause, then a necessary precondition."
- American Journalist Heather Brooke
Resources
Need quick answers, a compelling video, carefully crafted talking points, or more in-depth research in order to provide a timely response to a policy maker? We work continuously to assemble tools for successful advocacy.
Adult Adoptee Access to Records
Policy statements from national organizations
Research Articles:
For the Records II: An Examination of the History and Impact of Adult Adoptee Access to Original Birth Certificates (Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute; July 2010)
Does Opening Adoption Records Have an Adverse Social Impact? Some Lessons from the US, Great Britain, and Australia, 1953-2007 (E. Wayne Carp, Pacific Lutheran University; 2007)
ADOPTED: For the Life of Me by Jean Strauss
This poignant, informative documentary aired for three years on PBS. It follows the experience of several adult adoptees who encounter obstacles as they seek out their identity and ancestry. (Note: New Jersey and several other states have changed their laws since the piece was created.)
Birth/First Parents: "Promises" and Unethical, Coercive Practices in Relinquishment
A Girl Like Her (documentary trailer)
Abusive, corrupt practices of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home.
Adopted or Abducted? (Full Emmy-nominated report by Dan Rather)
Concerned United Birthparents (CUB) turns 45
Ex-AZ politician sentenced to five more years in adoption scam.
Four Birthmothers for Mothers (short video by Jean Strauss)
Irish government apologizes, agrees to pay restitution to mothers.
Surrender and Subordination: Birth Mothers and Adoption Law Reform
The real Philomena (from the award winning feature film starring Judy Dench)
A Girl Like Her
Anne Fessler's riveting documentary, based on her book The Girls Who Went Away, in which women share personal stories of undergoing coercive relinquishment practices, still taking place in some states, over a period of decades dubbed the "Baby Scoop Era."
From Place to Place
The feature documentary "From Place to Place" tells the story of the invisible children who grow up in America's foster care system. For the first time, Mandy, Micah and Raif find their voice after being hurt, lost and silenced by the system that was supposed to take care of them. The film follows their lives for over two years as they struggle to make it on their own, find their voice and impact the system.
​
​
Blue Bayou
This trailer from the feature film, which created some controversy in the international adoptee community after being shown at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, depicts the reality potentially faced by tens of thousands of international adoptees who grew up with the inaccurate belief that their adoption automatically made them US citizens. Visit the Adoptee Rights Campaign website to meet real adoptees living this nightmare.
Legislation that Matters
You can help to change thousands of lives.