Reply to Bastard Nation Letter

Anita,
Thank you very much for reviewing the Texas HB770 and the companion SB364 and taking the time to write. (I am copying this to Rebecca Townsend of Arizona Open as she also wrote in support of your concerns. I am certain there are thousands of others who have the same concerns.)

Adoptee rights must be restored fully and without any conditions to the receipt of birth records. The sad reality is that we have worked on such legislation for well over a decade in Texas with no progress. Texas as you may know is the home of NCFA. It will be a VERY difficult state to secure adoptee rights in. We at Txcare have spent thousands of hours for years working in the Texas Legislature in support of adoptee rights. President Bush personally killed our bill last session and threatened vetoes prior to that when he was Governor. It is not easy. Thus, we now have designed a bill that uses the allegations of the our opposition to create what will be a nonfunctional veto provision and in the process create an educational opportunity.

Has anyone you know of ever presented a signed relinquishment document filed in an adoption wherein an agency agrees to promise anonymity? Such a document does not exist.

Due to the issues you have raised I have redrafted, and reposted online, the "Adoption Reform - Texas Style" article. I think these are good changes and want to thank you for raising the issues.

I certainly understand your concerns for many elements of HB770 but it was written to address the complaints and allegations of our opposition over the past decade. I also understand why you would not like what is written in the "Adoption Reform" article about how HB770 will better protect that minority of birth parents not wanting contact. That issue has to be presented to the legislature so that we fully deflate our opposition who in the past have claimed that current law better protects that minority. We can easily show that HB770 will better protect that birth parent minority not wanting contact. It is another step toward getting full adoptee rights into the law. Please note that in the process of providing this "protection" to birth parents not wanting contact adoptees will NOT loose access to their birth records.

Sadly I know we will not agree on the strategy necessary in Texas. Ultimate goals of absolute access to records we may agree on. The intermediate goal of passing HB770 I think we will not agree on. I promise that this is a very real step toward that ultimate goal which will be achieved sooner in Texas once HB770 is law.

There is one adoption agency I am certain you know that has great power within the Texas Legislature. We are fighting them with their own ammunition and calling their bluff with HB770.

I certainly understand you and your supporters will write to criticize the veto boilerplate in HB770. Please also spend at least as much energy writing to support the parts of HB770 that gain full access to birth records by adoptees.

Sincerely,

Bill Betzen
Board member
www.txcare.org