Diocese Supports Adoption Rights

One bright spot at Diocesan Convention was the adoption of The Rev. Mark Diebel's resolution, A Right to Human Identity.  Here is Mark's explanation of how it came to be passed.  Now it will be presented at the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church for consideration there.  The Rev. Diebel writes:

Let me tell you what happened today at The Episcopal Diocese of Albany at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, NY.  The resolution, A Right to Human Identity, was passed as presented.  This resolution intends to address the loss of history for both adoptees and persons born through artificial reproductive technology (including surrogacy parenting).  Before it was passed a proposed amendment failed.  The Very Rev. John Scott offered this to me the night before: "Resolved that the Standing Commission on National Concerns of the Episcopal Church be directed by the 76th General Convention to undertake a study of the implications of artificial reproductive technologies for human identity and report their findings to the 77th General Convention."  This was to be inserted immediately after the first resolution.  I liked it.  It seemed the right committee in General Convention, but the amendment failed without much if any discussion.  I frankly assumed it would pass without controversy.  Instead it failed without controversy.

The resolution passed, 190 for, 155 against.

Peter Minucci of the Episcopal Counseling Service in Albany was asked by the Bishop of Albany to respond to the substance of the resolution.  His report was read to the convention.  When I get a copy I will post it.  His comments were entirely supportive and compelling for some present.  He addressed adoptees and his comments were based on his personal experience and professional opinion working with adoptees.  He admitted that he had no experience with person born from various artificial reproductive technologies but believed he would see similar concerns.  Several adoptees spoke and concurred that it should be a right to know one's complete parentage.  There might have been one first mom who spoke (I couldn't hear what she said) who also affirmed the right.  More than one adoptive parent spoke affirmatively.

Those who argued against it offered abortion as one concern.  "Mom's are up against a shotgun," when pregnant and if faced with the possibility of having to face their children later, may instead chose to abort them.  Another argued that "maybe" the Church shouldn't be involved in this and that the Diocese should pass it by, even though on many levels the resolution is "compelling."  Another pointed to the legislative aspect of the resolution and that the Diocese shouldn't be leaving a sort of blank check for the state legislators.  A teacher said that her class of middle school students has many adoptees and if they got wind of such a right, they might become harder to control and create problems at school and for their adoptive parents.

The next step for the resolution will be the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which is in Anaheim, California, July 8 through 17.  There it will be presented to the Convention for discussion and confirmation by vote in the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies.

Congratulations everyone who wanted to see this happen.  In the meantime, think national.

The complete text of the resolution itself can be found here.

Comments

[Robert Allan Hafetz]

Its hard to imagine the reason behind the belief that adoptees knowing their mother's name will cause her to seek an abortion instead of an adoption. There isnt a single fact that supports that belief. The data from states that dont put birth mothers into state protection secrecy programs, actually have lower rates of abortion. States that unsealed their adoption records show no increase in abortion after the freedom to know ones family of origin becomes reality. So then, when beliefs are held in the face of evidence that refutes those beliefs there are 2 possible motivations; 1.They are not intelliegent, 2. they are dishonest and have a hidden adgenda. What could men who want paternity to be held in secret really be afriad of? I wonder.

[Pete Franklin]

The forces that wish stop openness in adoption have ulterior motives! They will pretend to care about abortion rates, but the informed know there is no correlation between adoption law and abortion. The opposition only wants to protect powerful men, to include Catholic priests and lawyers. Catholic priests begging for secrecy and the lawyers from the NJ-ACLU begging for government sealed records. Can it be more obvious. God bless the Episcopal Church and this resolution.

[Bonnie Shapiro]

As a birth mother, I can tell you that the thought of being "found out" never bothered me. Thankfully my daughter found me and we both had holes in our hearts healed. Loving one person has never taken away love that is given to another, for it is finite as is God's love for all of us. Please pass this resolution.

[Mark Diebel]

I would like to say that although the resolution supports adoptee (sic) rights, it also intends to address those born though ART, including donor conception and surrogacy parenting. I wanted to be triply clear. This latter population is one that is rapidly growing and should cause concern because voices advocating their right to know are few, fewer than the adoptee community.