San Francisco Examiner

Letters to the Editor

• Adoptees without rights

Adoptees without rights

I am proud to say that I am not a raving lunatic, and I'm sorry to disappoint you but I, for one, have never had any violent tendencies, mental illnesses or psychotic episodes. However, according to your editorial, "Fight over adoption secrecy" (Feb. 22), I must certainly be out of the norm.

Sure, I am pretty angry. However, I'm certainly not angry with the woman who gave birth to me almost 21 years ago. I'm angry with a system that has failed, time and time again, to give adoptees any answers about their pasts — answers that come free of charge to most members of society — and I'm angry with the secrets, lies and shame that have sadly become a part of many adoptees' lives. Angry. Not dangerous.

Many of us were born because of human negligence. Most of our parents were just experimenting with their sexuality and never thought of the consequences until they realized they were pregnant and were faced with a difficult decision.

Yet why are we, the adoptees, being treated like criminals? Why are our requests unconstitutional? Why are we the threatening ones?

We weren't given a choice. Instead, we were separated from our birth families, our heritage, our blood, and we were put into homes where, no matter now much our adoptive families love us, we are the outsiders. We are the adopted ones — the ones who live a life of ambiguities, loss and loneliness. But we don't have rights. Why is that?

Nicole Kipp
Sacramento