http://retinoblastomafocus.com/blog/the-rights-of-birth-fathers/ Dealing with Retinoblastoma Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:08:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 http://retinoblastomafocus.com/blog/the-rights-of-birth-fathers/#comment-12862 janet Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:18:08 +0000 http://retinoblastomafocus.com/blog/the-rights-of-birth-fathers/#comment-12862 Glenn, I really like the way you framed this and presented another way of viewing the issue. You are right, who does benefit from keeping quiet? It seems so simple, so obvious an answer, and yet in the adoption arena, the notions of family, of openness, of accessing information about biological roots stand outside the societal norm. Some barriers have been broken down over the years, so that open adoptions occur, where the parties in adoption can have contact right from the start. But when you see news stories like this one where a judge deems a birth father to not have the right to know he has a child, and to be involved in the adoption process, you realise there's still a long way to go. Glenn,
I really like the way you framed this and presented another way of viewing the issue. You are right, who does benefit from keeping quiet? It seems so simple, so obvious an answer, and yet in the adoption arena, the notions of family, of openness, of accessing information about biological roots stand outside the societal norm. Some barriers have been broken down over the years, so that open adoptions occur, where the parties in adoption can have contact right from the start. But when you see news stories like this one where a judge deems a birth father to not have the right to know he has a child, and to be involved in the adoption process, you realise there’s still a long way to go.

]]> http://retinoblastomafocus.com/blog/the-rights-of-birth-fathers/#comment-12859 Glenn Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:17:17 +0000 http://retinoblastomafocus.com/blog/the-rights-of-birth-fathers/#comment-12859 Janet, your description of the adoptee's perspective is very interesting, and I think most people would feel this way. The question of whether the birth father should be informed could be looked at from this point of view - who benefits by not informing them? The child? (no, for the reasons you outline). The birth father? It could hardly be argued that not informing the birth father is for his benefit. Our culture values the concept of family, and the right to be informed for all the family should be respected (although I can imagine there will always be exceptional circumstances where reasons relating to the welfare of the child would take precedence). Janet, your description of the adoptee’s perspective is very interesting, and I think most people would feel this way. The question of whether the birth father should be informed could be looked at from this point of view - who benefits by not informing them? The child? (no, for the reasons you outline). The birth father? It could hardly be argued that not informing the birth father is for his benefit. Our culture values the concept of family, and the right to be informed for all the family should be respected (although I can imagine there will always be exceptional circumstances where reasons relating to the welfare of the child would take precedence).

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