Comments

• I’m not going to take up space reiterating things that everyone has talked about here. I do want to say I agree with everyone except Tom Snyder and mr. Erich who seem to be living in a time warp somewhere in the ‘50’s or 60’s. Times change, attitudes change. Nothing is under wraps anymore, not bra straps, not sexual orientation, not adoption, egg donors, sperm donors. We celebrate our differences, our achievements, our contributions, everything (well, maybe not the bra straps). The unmarried pregnant daughter of a vice presidential candidate was trotted out for the entire world to see and know and everyone celebrated. Ask anyone who’s run for public office if his or her past is in lock down. We’ve all seen those “secret” children on the news. When they’re grown up they certainly will know their origins. Those of us who made it through the 50’s and 60’s know full well the options today were never options back then. We whispered the word “cancer”. We were told, “Oh, she had a nervous breakdown and is in a sanitarium for a while.” We even whispered, “divorce.” Today we have OPEN adoptions, sperm donors and egg donors can be part of the child’s life if they so choose. Nobody seems to need protecting now, why do events of 40, 50 yrs ago, that happened to people still living today, that have grown with the times….why do they still need “protecting”. In 1966 I “had a nervous breakdown and went to a sanitarium for a while.” It was less embarrassing for my parents to say I was crazy than to say I was pregnant. I was well cared for at a home for unwed mothers run by the agency to which I would relinquish my baby. I never doubted, questioned or changed my decision; relinquishment was the right thing for me. I don’t remember being promised anything regarding privacy or not, I just knew that NY records were sealed. On Dec. 31, 1966 in NYC I became a birth mother; on April 29, 2010 I became David Bandler’s birth mother. The lack of an OBC didn’t keep him from finding me. What do you have to say to that, Mr. Erich? I’m 64 yrs. old, not 20, I don’t need PROTECTING, neither does David, or his parents. I’ve slowly been filling in the gaps for him, all families involved are CELEBRATING, Life is Good! What would make it better would be for David to have his OBC. WAKE UP NEW YORK! For a state that’s supposed to be so sophisticated and progressive, when it comes to adoption, NY is in the Dark Ages. Step into the light people, I did and there’s no looking back.
  in Adoptees Fight for Access to Original Birth Certificates
  Wednesday August 04, 2010, 01:08 PM