Dear Adoption, We Don’t Have Adoption Issues, We Have an Issue with Adoption
“For every family created by adoption, another family exists that has been forever torn apart, either across the street or across the globe.”
–Janine Myung Ja, Compiler of Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists
To the profitable industry: we, “orphans,” do not have adoption issues, we have an issue with adoption. As a global member of the adoption community since my adoption in 1972 and founder of Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Network, I am writing on behalf of adopted people and human rights advocates who have been abused by your system.
The reason I am writing is because of an urgent need to inform indigenous families of your aftermath should they buy into your system. I have recently learned of the problem within the last decade but have been researching since 2004. The issue has to do with your transnational movement of children under the veneer of charitable “services.” The problem is that you have the monopoly on the world’s children: you collect children from mothers, fathers, and less empowered communities and then expedite them overseas to fill your fiercely demanding and profitable market. Typically, after a natural disaster or perusing poorer regions, you are initiated and perpetuated by well-dressed evangelicals who want to “help vulnerable, at risk or troubled families.” It is not uncommon for your followers to set up compounds or orphanages or work in conjunction with boarding schools to offer “aide” to less empowered families. Then your followers offer the bare minimum so that the childcare facilities remain rundown and have little choice but to relinquish their children to your rich paying customers.
It is not uncommon for your loyalists to claim ownership of the children, send photos of isolated children to overseas contacts and into the arms of their “approved” families. While you strip native mothers of their offspring, you also permanently wipe away the future welfare of these women into their elder years. Did you know that the children of those nations typically become the family’s social security? Essentially, you alter mother nature for overseas consumption, using a fallible man-made market. What gets me is how proud you are! You love to preach! You love to flaunt! Yet, you refuse to listen.
“I want study English ! ! because, i want talking with my son. He is addaping(?) 2003`form seoul,to U.S.A.. I am waiting … for meet, longlong time ! help me please”
–A Korean Father from: The Search for Mother Missing: A Peek Inside International Adoption
As you already know, babies and small children are unable to articulate their human right to know and at least have access to their families of birth. Your scheme ignores all rights enshrined in international human rights treaties.
What is most disgusting? Your needy one-sided system was built to prevent mothers and fathers of-loss, families left-behind and the adopted from ever reuniting—even into the future—when the adopted person is elderly. Furthermore, the parents and families and communities of these children are ousted from the discussion and policymaking. As a consequence, your victims have no authority outside of your marketplace to request for aide. In fact policymaking was built and maintained, and regulated by those who profited—the most elite among us: Adoptive Applicants, adoption facilitators, and their trainees who claim they speak on the behalf of us—their so-called “orphans.”
“Based on the letters mailed back to the pastor, the [adopted] children reported being afraid during their journeys and saddened by the loss of their families. Many admitted to having a hard time transitioning from the city to the country. As adults, many felt angered and resentful after being assigned to live with strangers.”
—Adoption History 101: An Orphan’s Research into Adoption Trafficking
Your privileged group fiercely ousts those of us who attempt to find back our families (and the devastated parents waiting for their children) from attending adoption conferences and a seat at the global discussion. Worse, when we ask permission to speak our truth, your devotees and followers stigmatized people like us as if we are radical, “anti-adoption” or even “anti-God.” You do whatever possible to stain our reputations, glorified by your name.
Your workers are typically dressed in the most sweet and professional wrapping and presented with the friendliest of smiles! It can be very difficult to see that your people are constantly assessing the situation for those they can target, looking for the moment to introduce you to “sinful” women who might consider relinquishing. You are presented as if a temporary educational program or a short-term Bible camp in “God’s Country” or as if a “win-win” for all.
Your loyalists fear that if they do not abide by your rules, they risk being sent to “hell” or punishment. Then, the taken child are photographed and legally presented on your website photolistings, catalogues and magazines as if “waiting to be adopted.”
I strongly urge for you to repent to all the families you have permanently separated. Instead of promoting yourself, work toward justice for native citizens, parents of loss and families left behind. Stop painting all adoptive parents as good and better and stop stigmatizing all mothers (of loss) as sinful and immoral. Dear adoption, if you want to help the situation, I recommend that you first acknowledge the damage you have inflicted. You cannot help others heal until you recognize that you are the issue which needs to be addressed. To hear what other adopted people are saying and doing, I suggest you pick up the anthology Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists. From there, you will come to know that we do not have adoption issues. We have an issue with you, adoption industry.
Janine Myung Ja is the compiler and co-editor of Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists and The “Unknown” Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and Now. These anthologies serve to tribute domestic, transracial and intercountry adopted people and families left behind while validating their experiences and informing them of their rights.Janine has written more than seven feature-length screenplays on the transnational adoption experience and authored two narratives based on her own coming-of-age (and identity) Generation X experience and her search for her Korean family as an adult.Janine and her twin, Jenette, are co-creators of the social media group, “Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Network.” Both work diligently to validate and empower the voices of adopted people and the families left behind. Find The Vance Twins on here Facebook or Twitter. You can learn more about all sides of adoption from their websites: Adoptionland.org & adoptionhistory101.com.Caution: Their work is typically appreciated by human rights activists and adult-adoptee/supporters and not recommended for adoption profiteers, their followers or adoptive parents.Also known as Janine Vance, her passions include teaching on the subjects of Metaphysics, eastern philosophy, automatic and reflective writing, and meditation. She is the mother of two adult daughters.Easy links to Janine’s Collection on Amazon:How I learned about the Crisis:The Search for Mother Missing:A Peek Inside International AdoptionNarratives From Other Adoptees:Adoptionland: From Orphans to ActivistsThe “Unknown” Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and NowMy Coming of Age (& Identity) Narrative:Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to AdoptionAvailable by request or preview copies at info@vancetwins.com :Adoptionland on GoodreadsJanine on Goodreads
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dearadoption.com 
So great that you are not afraid to speak out your truth and be a voice for the voiceless. Your actions and accomplishments are commendable.
I firmly believe every child has the right to be raised by their own family and not strangers, as an adopted (not international) “blank slate” baby of the sixties it is clear to me that false adoption beliefs still stand today. It is not a win-win solution at best and child trafficking at worst.
People need to be educated about adoption and it’s willingness to hide the facts behind the multi-million dollar industry hurting babies and families. Children and babies simply should never be for purchase or gift. Adoption as it stands now needs to be illegal!
Thank you for all you are doing!
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Thank you for speaking truth on behalf of millions of adoptees.
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Please do not include me in all your beliefs. I’ve been on both sides of adoption.( an adoptee and birth mother) My experiences on both sides has been blessed. I received no money for my offering of my son to a better life
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Sharyn ODonnell/Mary Theresa Durant: I’m sorry you lost your son to adoption and your original family to the adoption industry. I hope you find peace one day.
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Amen!
Thank you for the strength and courage of your words.
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[…] Source: Dear Adoption, We Don’t Have Adoption Issues, We Have an Issue With Adoption […]
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Reblogged this on FORBIDDEN FAMILY and commented:
Thank you for writing this.
In addition to the global trafficking of children from country to country, it is very important to add here that the Adoption Industry also maintains dominance on domestic adoptions in the United States and other developed countries. Religious organizations and their people see themselves as “saving” children from a life of poverty and deprivation should these children stay in the care of their natural-born parents. Government agencies such as Child Protective Services routinely grab up children to maintain their monthly quotas of children who are then “freed” for adoption, even when cause for removal is not warranted. Private adoption agencies organize around religious fundamental ideologies, or cater to specific recipient clients such as gay men and lesbian women. Many agencies promote themselves as specializing in open adoption, knowing full well that no socially-open adoption can be legally enforced. An open adoption agreement allowing for visitation from the natural mother and father can be, and often is, closed once the adopters decide they no longer want the natural parents to be involved.
It is also important to force the adoption industry to acknowledge the damage done to the adopted person by the continual practice of revoking and sealing the adoptee’s birth certificate – the medical record of live birth. This is identity theft, yet, it is expected to be just one step in the finalization of adoption, in both domestic and intercountry adoption. Once an adoption is finalized, a new birth certificate is created by the Registrar of Vital Statistics office of each state’s capital city, replacing the names of the actual parents with the names of the adopters and replacing the child’s actual name with a name chosen by the adopters. This false-fact amended birth certificate replaces the child’s true birth certificate. It becomes the adoptee’s first document proving identity and parentage, yet the facts presented are fictitious. Adoption is based upon lies.
If a child is truly in danger of harm by living with abusive parents, then yes, remove the child from the home. Provide a safe home for abused children, but identity theft via adoption is not necessary.
Adoption claims identity theft is necessary, but adoption does not admit that the process of revoking, sealing and replacing adoptees’ birth certificates is, in fact, identity theft. Most adopters have the opinion that they are entitled to the new birth certificate as they believe that they need it to prove their legal parentage and they need to prove that they ARE parents.
The perfect answer is reality-based documentation which delineates the split that adoption creates. The facts of life cannot be scientifically denied. The mother who actually carried the pregnancy and who actually gave birth is the mother whose name should be on the medical record of live birth. DNA can and should be tested to prove who the genetic parents are and whose names belong on the child’s medical record of birth.
An adoption certificate would then spell out who the legal parents are, and the facts of adoption (date, time, place, and names of adopters). Adoption and birth are two separate events.
Better yet, Legal Guardianship provides the child with legal guardians while maintaining the validation of the child’s actual birth and identity. Kinship care provides the child continued contact with natural family.
Supervised visitation with abusive parents can be arranged via court order, or completely barred.
Siblings should never be separated. The child who is adopted has a natural and human right to know full and half siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Adoption destroys these relationships.
Many domestic adoption agencies seek out pregnant girls and women to guilt them into believing that they are inferior to the waiting adoptive-parent-wanna-bees. Coercive methods are used to take the infant from vulnerable pregnant mothers, even allowing adopters in the delivery room. Many adopters bypass the child’s actual birth record directly by insisting that their names be recorded on the child’s birth certificate from birth.
The adoption industry promotes delusional beliefs. The victims of adoption, however, live the truth of the negative consequences of adoption.
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When the full extent of the harm done to adoptees and their original families, and the impact of that harm on the fabric of society itself, becomes clear to the world at large there is going to be some serious foundation shaking.
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