One other thing, which I mentioned in my blog (Bastardette) is The Illinois Catholic Conference’s claim that information on an obc could be false! I have never heard any industrialist admit falsification of government birth records before. While some women may have put false information on a bc of their own volition, this statement comes out of nowhere. Absolutely no context. It suggests that there was a systematic program to place false information on a government document. Who put those thoughts and actions into women’s minds? Who instrumented falsification. If a systematic pattern of falsification is uncovered in even one diocese, the game is over.

ICC brings up questions that most activists don’t use to any extent in campaigns simply because they cloud the issue of rights, bog down the argument, and is something a lot of people don’t want to deal with. Unethical and illegal practices are something to be investigated and exposed, but they are secondary to the immediate need to restore the rights of all adoptees. Eat first. Theory later. Besides, allegations against I agencies would be translated into “anti-adoption” sentiment and could backfire in the legislature where adoption is a sacred cow.

Catholic confessional culture has met US pop confessional culture in the ICC’s “neutrality statement.” ICC brings attention to its own potential scandal by bringing their practices under scrutiny. If it just kept its mouth shut, nobody would be thinking about it Ironically, I know of no lawsuits against adoption providers in any state with unsealed obcs, though I’m sure some are warranted. The idea of protracted litigation is not exactly attractive to most people. Especially when it involves the RCC.

The ICC would have been smarter to just to declare that it had no problem with the bill and would stay out of it. That’s what the Archbishop in Portland, Oregon did with no huge statement of explanation. It was not a controversial decision. But the ICC put its foot in it, and inquiring minds now want to know what the Illinois adoption industry wants and needs to hide.

The bottom line is- they don’t want those records open- ever, certainly not in any way that would be beyond their control.

So while they may hide behind ‘protecting birthmothers’ (who if one looks at for example Oregon’s stats after their records were opened apparently tend overwhelmingly not to WANT to be ‘protected’ from their own offspring) that excuse falls flat.

While the agencies and organizations try to hide behind the pretense of ‘confidentiality’, I’m convinced their real fears and concerns over lawsuits are directly related to the release of the records themselves and the reconnections between Original Parents and Bastards, who, when they are able to reconnect the State separated puzzle pieces sometimes begin to find ‘irregularities’.