A post of mine made some waves here on the blog last month. It left some readers with unanswered questions, arguments over what is an appropriate step towards reform and confusion over the process itself. Thankfully, I was approached by Roberta MacDonald, reunited adoptee and Chairwoman of the North Carolina Coalition for Adoption Reform (NCCAR), the group in charge of the bill in question. We exchanged some e-mails and I conducted an e-mail survey. Today I'm going to answer some questions that were left hanging from the previous one and clarify some things for our readers as well.

Below you will find questions that were voiced on the original post or left standing by the reporting papers. Anything that is in a blockquote form is directly quoted from Roberta. The rest of the information is a paraphrased version of what she told me in our interview.

Question #1: The local (NC) newspapers were reporting this, solely, as a group of birth mothers. Why the confusion? And who makes up the NCCAR?

The NCCAR is comprised of the entire triad: birth parents, adoptees, adoptive parents, siblings and concerned citizens. It is not a one-sided triad attempt at reform. It's a culmination of everyone. That said, the newspapers were likely misreporting the information due to the fact of how the bill has to be presented. Shortly, a bill is presented with the voices of six supporters who are given two minutes each. Since bills like this are often met with the misperception that birth mothers were promised and therefore want their confidentiality, six birth parents were chosen to speak in support of this particular bill: one who searched and found a grave, one who was raped and is involved in a good reunion, one who is now an adoptive parent as well and one who would like to reunite but has not yet due to her son's wishes. (Two others were scheduled to speak but did not make it to Charlotte.) You can now see why the NCCAR was misrepresented in articles as a "group of birth mothers" instead of the full triad group that they represent.

Question #2: Why 21? Why not 18?

It basically comes down to the NCCAR knowing what obstacles they were facing with the legislators and understanding that certain compromises are worth it if it prevents utter failure. In short, many of the legislators were arguing that eighteen was too young of an age for this huge responsibility and ultimate change in the adoptees life. Furthermore, as many adoptees don't begin their searches until after age twenty-one in the first place, the compromise didn't feel like a huge loss. Instead of losing the entire bill based on an "age of maturity," they compromised to keep the best intentions of adoptees as a whole in mind and on the table. They succeeded in doing so by changing the age.

Question #3: Why is the current outcome (discussed in depth here) better than a state registry?

First and foremost, an important item of note for the state of North Carolina is that the county of birth was changed on all birth certificates prior to 1996. That's the kind of state that the NCCAR is up against right now. Furthermore, state run registries are "under funded and understaffed." Furthermore, Roberta brings up an important point about NC adoption law in discussing this topic:

The state of NC has had NOTHING for so long. At least this gives those who want to have hope and possibility of being reunited the chance to do so legally.

Question #4: Why not more? Why stop at what you've received? Is there hope for the future?

If you think this group is stopping with the results they've received thus far, you're wrong. Beating a social stigma, such as that against birth parents or the belief that they do want their anonymity, takes time. Baby steps are sometimes needed to get past long-standing beliefs. Each step made is a step in the right direction. The good news is that they are planning on coming back in 2008/2009 to take it yet another step further, towards what they initially wanted as opposed to the compromises reached. Remember, this group was formed in 2000 and hasn't stopped working yet. They're not going to let a small victory waylay their big-picture goal. They're determined to continue to make a difference for families touched by adoption in the state of North Carolina.

Furthermore, Roberta brings up a good point with the following quote.

I was told that the legislators consider us a minority. That we cannot effect if they are voted back into office. Well I would say this to them… take care… for we have relatives, we have friends, we have neighbors… add all of them up for the minority and it can easily become a majority.

For any of my readers in North Carolina (remember, legislators listen to their own constituents the most) who are interested in the NCCAR and their continuing battle to give adoptees rights to their Original Birth Certificates, you can visit their site. If you're interested in becoming an active participant in the fight, you could join. Further questions on NC law would best be bounced off those specifically involved by contacting them via their contact page. Roberta was patient with me in helping me to understand what was truly going on, taking it down to a level that I understood since I had been previously uneducated in the workings of legislation.

I'd like to thank Roberta and the other members of the NCCAR who not only helped me understand some of the process but for continuing to fight for adoptees, and, by relation, the entire triad. Without people like these, who take their own time and their own money, reform doesn't take place. Without keeping an eye on discussions all over the internet, misconceptions as to what is really going on would still abound, thus letting the world continue to believe the stereotypes and myths that surround adoption in general.

Reform is happening in North Carolina. I can't wait to see what comes out of that state in the next few years. I'm betting it's going to be something grand!


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For more on North Carolina reform, read:

1. North Carolina Takes a Small Step Towards Reform.

2. Birth Mothers Push for Change.

3. Encouraging Trends in Adoption.

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