Blogpost #4 Option 1

I really appreciated hearing Tuesday's guest speaker's story. We’ve read a bit about adoptees, but it was nice to physically hear her story as an adoptee and being able to interact with her. She brought a new perspective regarding open records to my attention. Before her presence in class, I was a strong proponent for open records. Reading chapter two of “Adoption Nation” further developed my stance on open records as being necessary. Adam Pertman stated that, “Adoptees are the only U.S. citizens who don’t automatically have the right to obtain the records relating to their births” (pg. 35). This made me think about the unfairness that adoptees face by not being able to obtain basic information that is important to them, such as their parents’ names, parents’ health, etc. Pertman described the difficulties that many adoptees go through when acquiring birth records and how many of the requests are denied. He stated that some adoptees might be able to get their records if they have a justifiable reason, according to the courts, but that curiosity would not cut it. After reading this, I felt that adoptees are being oppressed on the grounds that they are not allowed to find out basic information about themselves. I believed that open records should be granted to adoptees and that it is their human right. 

However, the guest speaker swayed my opinion about open records. She pointed out that the issue of records concerns the adoptee, adoptive parents and birthparents. From the birthparents’ perspective, closed records protect their privacy and their desire to remain anonymous to their child. My original standpoint on open records was from an adoptee perspective, and I didn’t consider others involved. I still do not have a well defined take on open records, but I now I see why some people are against open records. It seems that open records protect the rights of some (usually the birthparents), while impairing others’ right to knowledge about themselves (usually the adoptees). This is definitely an ethical dilemma because people’s rights of privacy and protection are at stake. I thought it was very ethical of the guest speaker to have a neutral stance on the birth records and to be able to see it from the prospective of her birthparents, whom she’s had no contact.