Adopted Children Should Have Rights!

Adoption is supposed to mean that a child not born to you has the same legal rights as a child that you birth. In the United States, the child's original birth certificate is routinely sealed and a new, amended birth certificate is drawn up listing the adoptive parent(s) as the child's birth parent. (I don't agree with this practice; I mention it only to show you that our legal system recognizes an adopted child as the same as a birth child.)

So, this man was adopted by not one, but two abusive families. One gave him up... the other has been charged with rape, sexual abuse and criminal mistreatment of their adopted and foster children. They kicked him out at SIXTEEN over an argument over the phone. Homeless and alone at sixteen... he became involved in criminal activities.

Now, he lives a honorable life. He is married and has three children, another on the way... and our government would like to send him back to Korea. He doesn't speak Korean. He doesn't remember Korea. He knows no one there.

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 was supposed to fix this, but it didn't grandfather in those adoptees who were over 18 on February 27, 2001. What a grave miscarriage of justice. If we are not going to protect those who come here as vulnerable littles...

Everything about this man's life has been a tragedy.  Here's the petition.  Please sign!

-- written by my friend Julie Suelter Clobes, mother of three adopted children.