The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of an April ruling by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that dismissed a lawsuit brought by a gay couple seeking a proper birth certificate for the Louisiana-born child they jointly adopted in New York.To the LGBT community this, I am sure, seems like a terrible injustice that their child's birth certificate cannot be the same as every other adopted child....a LIE. The state of LA was willing to list only one of the men, but not both. They thought that would be more normal? Hello! How many children do you know that are born without a MOTHER? Science has come a long way in the past 50 years, but not quite THAT far, I don't think.
The court’s action, announced October 11 without comment, lets stand a decision by the Louisiana registrar of birth certificates, Darlene Smith, who refused to issue a new birth certificate for a child born there and legally adopted by Mickey Smith and Oren Adar at the age of five. Following instructions from the state attorney general, Smith argued Louisiana does not allow adoptions by unmarried couples and should not be required to do anything that could be construed as allowing a same-sex couple to adopt –– or have any kind of legal status at all.
For the adoption community, it simply points out the insanity that is the Amended Birth Certificate. To take a Vital Public Record and remove the names of the people who actually BIRTH the child, and plug in, instead, the names of people who may not have even been on the same continent at the time of the child's birth and swear under oath that they actually did give birth to the child is among the craziness of adoption today. A lie is a lie is a lie.
As science advances, and reproductive technology becomes more mainstream, it becomes more and more apparent what a travesty this whole thing is. I am often reminded of my grandmother who was full of homespun wisdom that she would gladly share with us. One of her favorites was, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive?" This issue with the birth certificate is a perfect example!
Since the birth certificate is a Vital Public Record, filed with the county and sent to the state and complied and then on to the feds, it should be no less important that the information be accurate for these children than for any other child born in this country. The names on the birth certificate, as the women of SMAAC have advocated for years now, should BE the names of the mother and father who actually did give birth to the child. No secrets, no lies, the simple truth. Then, an amendment can be added to the bottom or the back side of the birth certificate indicating that the child has been adopted and fill in the names of the adoptive parents. With 2% of the population carrying one of these documents, the school registrars, the day care center, and the Little League would not be shocked to find out that Mr, and Mr./Mrs/Ms SoandSo did not actually give birth to the child, but adopted, I know for a fact, having been a Registrar for many years, that there are few things that surprise a Registrar and very few of them give a damn! They just want to get the kid in school, get them on the attendance rolls so that the school can get their stipend from the state. That's all.
Repeal the laws that mandate the falsification of Vital Public Records and end this mockery once and for all. Healthy lives are not built on lies, lies, lies and that is what the Amended Birth Certificate is...a Legalized Lie.
7 comments:
Here! Here! Absolutely! It amazes me that the government supposedly keeps accurate records and yet they allow that kind of change to be made to a document that is vital for the purpose of taxes, census and other information gathered to number, count and follow the genealogical growth of our country. It begs the question, exactly how do you explain a child that was reported as one couple's child and then reported again as another couple's child? After all, the state gives both parents a count - which means, essentially that there are non-existent children out there .... in one family or the other... as far as actual census. Because of this, the federal government is subsidizing children that don't actually exist.
Exactly, Lori! I am constantly amazed that people seem to think that these records are just something that the state does as a service to provide them with an ID. They are Vital Public Records, intentionally capitalized, because the are VITAL for the nation to keep statistics for planning, for resource distribution and, sadly, for the draft! They are very important...nay, they are VITAL.
Don't we all like honesty in records? Vital Public Records? Life records?
I don't think this Supreme Court will open the records, but this is a blow for truth!
The thing is, Lorraine, this is going to get worse and worse as time goes by and technology and reproductive procedures get more and more sophisticated. It becomes increasingly convoluted and absolutely crazy-making for all! Truth is ALWAYS better.
Sandy, what I want to know, since marriage to a sibling or cousin is essentially illegal as well as immoral and biologically an important problem, how anyone can justify this closure. After all, adoption doesn't change the genetic material. And now, as you said, with all the "advancements" in reproductive process, it is even more imperative that the information on the birth certificate be strictly accurate. As the population grows and technology "improves" the world gets smaller... and the chances of someone "reproducing" with a close relative gets exponentially higher.... Makes no sense and honestly, I would rather that my daughter used the birth certificate that is actually hers than a mock up. She is, in this way, lucky - she has absolutely no siblings - and it is scary since she grew up in the middle of a place where she has a large number of cousins that are too close for good sense.
Very, very stupid. Sigh... I think that people just don't get it.
Interesting aside I had with a gay FB friend. It was really difficult explaining this to him and letting him know it wasn't gay adoption that bothered me but adoption, period. To any minority demanding the same as everyone else...make sure what you are demanding is a good thing.
Amen Sandy!!
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