Governor Chris Christie

34 Years Later- NJ Equal Access Bill Inches Forward

/ V.L. Brunskill / 3 Comments
New Jersey adoptees may finally be closer to obtaining their original birth certificates and health records.
Bill A-1259, which has been bandied about for more than three decades was recently approved by the NJ Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the Assembly Human Services Committee. This is the same bill that was passed by both legislative houses in 2011, only to be conditionally vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie.

Check out the full story at NJSpotlight.com.
Bill Would Give Adoptees Access to Medical History, Info About Birth Parents (via NJSpotlight)At a time when the understanding and treatment of inherited disorders has grown by leaps and bounds, one group has not had access to any information about their family’s medical history – people whose biological parents’ names were sealed when…

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New Jersey Adoption Reform: A Circus of Assumptions

/ V.L. Brunskill / 12 Comments
Marissa Babin/Flickr.com

Governor Chris Christie

Keeping up with all the news on state adoption legislation can be difficult, as things change faster than you can say, “found.”  The latest state with on again/off again legislation debate is New Jersey.

Blogger Susan P. of the Family Rights blog, brought to my attention Governor Chris Christie’s fumble on what could have been truly monumental legislation. The proposed open records law in NJ (as originally drafted) would have free adoptees from years of forced secrecy and gut-wrenching searches.

Adoption Reform is on the  move in NJ, and it seems that Christie and other legislators are twisting what should be a straight-forward, open records law, into a political nightmare. Fears of increased abortion rates, and the overzealous assumption that all birth mothers want secrecy,  has turned  NJ Adoption Reform  into a three-ring circus of church, state, and stupidity!

According to a blog titled, ‘Christie’s ‘compromise’ on Adoptees’ birthright bill unfair’ at NJ.com, Christie “conditionally vetoed the Adoptees’ Birthright Bill (A1406) in June 2011,  suggesting that legislators write in  a loophole for birthmothers to opt-out of the release of original birth certificates to adult adoptees.  From what I understand, this would come in the form of a one-year grace period before adoptees can act on the open records law. This would allow birth mothers a year to deny access.

Susan of the Family Rights Blog recently wrote, “Other states have successfully passed “clean” bills (Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island), and it sickens me that some adoptees will be hurt by a concession to the fears of some legislators.”

I wholeheartedly agree! Adoptees deserve the same rights as every American. The availability of our original birth certificates should not open for debate.  Chris Christie has his original, unaltered birth certificate, and every person born in NJ deserves the same.

Adoptees did not sign away any rights. Therefore, access to records should be allowed without clauses of birth parent protection, or interference from the same “Christian” organizations that  forced many of the adoptions to begin with.  In response to criticism of his actions, Christie said, “Adoptees want it all.”

You got that right Christie!  We want all the same rights that you take for granted.

Keep the Faith NJ adoptees. Your truth is coming!

Vicki-lynn

UPDATE: Please note the comments section for a better understanding of Christie’s actions.  Turns out that while the circus continues, I had a few performance details askew!