DNA Diaries

Inspired by something I just read about adoption from the grave.

I realize it's early and I am only on my second cup of coffee, but in reading about adoption from the grave where an adoption is still able to continue after one of the adoptive parents has died. Which I can understand from an adoptive point of view, that can be viewed in Adoption and it's Triads to the right on our profile page here. (I'd list a link but I'm challenged still in that area.) It came to me that since adoption and all the secrecy and lies, all the cover ups and the confusion it causes, why not develop a new birth certificate, standard issue, to everyone, that has 4 places for parents names. One for each first parent and then one for each adoptive parent. Everyone gets the same standard issue birth certificate the only difference is that some will have four parents listed on it. I realize that adoptions are not all finalized at birth, but if the same standard issued birth certificate was used then it could simply be reissued using the same exact certificate just filled in with the names of the adoptive parents once finalized.

Do I see this as creating a win win situation for everyone. No, I don't, it would leave first parents who want privacy vulnerable, it would ruin the chances for adoptive parents to take to their grave the truth about their child's beginning, but it would give the adoptee a place to start if they chose to seek out their original parents. It would give them a chance to discover other family members, ancestry, medical info, and more. It would give them more of what everyone else has. A beginning.

I admit I haven't given this much thought because it's still early and I can see where this would ruffle the feathers of SOME adoptors and first parents, but after all who is this in the best interest of, them or the child?