Oregon

Ballot Measure 58

A letter to the Editor of the Oregonian in response to a very negative article on Ballot Measure 58.

The Oregonian
1320 SW Broadway
Portland OR 97201

Dear Editor:

Oregon's Ballot Measure 58 is a Civil Rights issue concerning Equal Rights. As Oregon law currently stands adopted persons in this state are denied equal access to a record directly relating to them. A record that all other persons in the state have access to, their original birth certificate.

The Constitution does allow some rights to be denied to individuals when that denial is to the "greater good of the state." There is no greater good of the state by denying adopted persons the right to receive their original birth certificate. Denying adopted persons equal rights to their original birth certificate does not benefit the state.

Additionally, the Constitution allows some rights to be denied to convicted felons. Being born and adopted does not make one a convicted felon, allowing for denial of equal rights. Being born and adopted is not a felony.

For those who are concerned about birthparents right to privacy, adoption reunion searchers are successful at finding the person they are looking for 80% of the time without the original birth certificate. Moreover, of the birthmothers found, 94% of them are glad to have been found. Do not deny 94% birthmothers the opportunity for healing, because 6% are not ready to do so.

The Health Division can include with an original birth certificate an information sheet of resources to help an adopted person deal with making contact. An adopted person is just as able to make a discreet inquiry of a birthmother as is an intermediary.

All the sealed original birth certificate is doing is costing the adopted person more emotional trauma, time, and money by having to use other means to discover their original identity. No school of psychology recommends secrecy and denial as a means to good emotional health that is excepting in adoption; and, in adoption, it does not work either.

Protect all citizens' Civil Rights by restoring adopted persons' Civil Rights. Vote yes on Ballot Measure 58.

Sincerely,

/s/
Ginni D Snodgrass,
Post-adoption Lay Counselor

Ginni D Snodgrass
© Copyright 1998