TAAP: Just Say, "No!" to the UAA: The Horrors of The Uniform Adoption Act of 1994

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Just, "No!" to the UAA:
The Horrors of The Uniform Adoption Act of 1994
By Michelle Konieczny

In 1994, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) drafted the Uniform Adoption Act(UAA). Intended to serve as a standardized practice model for state adoption laws, the UAA was instead deemed the "Evil Act" by Adoption and Civil Rights groups across the nation, who claimed it did not serve the best interests of the child. Despite the loud, emotional and at time angry outcry from the Adoption, Children's and Civil Rights Communities, and backed by such anti-open records advocates such as the National Council for Adoption and Bill Pierce, the UAA has already become law in several states.

The UAA seals adoption records for 99 years, Shortens revocable consent time on the part of the Birthparent to only 8 days from Birth, fails to require the Father's consent to adoption, fails to define non-identifying information, creates and ineffective mutual consent registry, allows the use of unlicensed, untrained facilitators, requires minimal or no pre-placement counseling for either Birth or Adoptive families, and perhaps most horrendous, it makes divulging of information made confidential during an adoption a felony, even if the information is deduced from legal, public sources. The UAA clearly favors adoption facilitators and adoptive parents and largely ignores the needs of the adoptee, birth parents, and birth families.

The UAA is opposed by many Adoption, Children's and Civil Rights advocacy groups around the country such as: The Child Welfare League of America, The American Adoption Congress, The National Association of Social Workers, Catholic Charities, The California Adoption Alliance, Concerned United Birthparents, Children Awaiting Parents and the Joint Council on International Children's Services. The Joint Council issued a statement on behalf of many of the above named organizations in which it stated, "[The Act] has great potential for polarizing adoptions even further, pitting adoptive parents against birth-parents, with the children once again getting lost in the discussions."

Everyone in America that is concerned about good adoption laws and children's welfare is encouraged to write to the Legislators around the country and voice your opposition to the UAA. This is especially important in Florida, Vermont, Pennsylvania where the act has already been introduced.

As a result of activists taking the time to inform the legislators the UAA has been defeated in Missouri and just recently failed in Wisconsin as well. While this is good news we must stay on vigilant watch for this Act has passed before!

Any law that denies an adult adoptee the right to a Certified Copy of their Original Birth Certificate upon reaching adulthood violates many Constitutional, Civil, and Human Rights of Adoptees and their loved ones. We must fight to restore their rights. The Uniform Adoption Act was created by lawyers, for adoption lawyers, facilitators and Adoptive Parents. When will the lawmakers stop listening to those who line their pockets with blood money from the Adoption Industry and start listening to those whom these laws affect? As long as the UAA is still floating around this great country of ours, none of our children are safe.

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