Tony Corsentino: The idea that children—even infants—have human rights is anathema to the right and only very dimly grasped by liberals and many leftists. 🥚

The idea that children—even infants—have human rights is anathema to the right and only very dimly grasped by liberals and many leftists. 🥚

A lot of people seem to confusedly think that secrecy/anonymity in #adoption is part of “reproductive freedom” because they forget that the reproduction already happened, and that the infant is a person with rights of their own. And by “a lot of people” I mean the fucking ACLU.

I will absolutely go so far as to say that the relegation of children to chattel status is a core part of whiteness. Unsurprisingly it was women from the Global South—the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—who made the human rights of children to their own identities a part of international law. 🥚

Which the US basically ignores. (Signatory to the UNCRC, but has not ratified it)

I am with you.

🙏🏻

minnesota just passed something so adoptees can get their birth certificates. this is insane it took that long?!

Yep! As of July 1. Want to know something amazing? There are *15 states* that give adult adoptees unrestricted access to their own birth records. The remainder either grant other people veto power, or (like TX and CA) just tell adoptees to fuck off. 🥚

when i was stuck doing customer service at hardware stores, parents would get angry with me if i talked to their kids like they were people. didn't care, id talk to the kids asking me questions and ignore their parents who were being assholes got raised being flat out told i was property, fuck that

Is there any research on how that affects whether or not people choose to adopt out and/or end pregnancy and/or infant mortality? I had trouble finding anything specifically on topic

Gretchen Sisson’s work on the Turnaway Study is relevant. Adoption is so unpopular that 91% of those interviewed who sought and were denied abortions chose to keep the children they bore. And as for the idea that those who do relinquish generally seek anonymity: it’s the exception. Far from the rule

See her new book: www.relinquishedbook.com

RELINQUISHED: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhoodwww.relinquishedbook.com A powerful decade-long study of adoption in the age of Roe, Relinquished reveals the grief of the American mothers for whom the choice to parent was never real. Forthcoming from sociologist Gretchen...

i get wanting nothing to do socially with the kid that a person pops out. they don't wanna be a parent, that's fine. but then the kid has no idea what hereditary diseases are gonna fuckin knock them clean off their feet. i have a friend that was adopted and he's getting all kinds of issues now

I opened a treasure chest of genetic surprises when I found my birth mother’s family 😵‍💫

Interesting to know, I definitely thought that anonymity or at least no contact was the rule but that could just be that was the case for the adoptees I knew

Do you know if it covers life outcomes for the children or parents? So far I haven't met a happy adoptee but the argument is that things would've been worse

This particular comment has nothing to do with adoption beyond the fact that it involves children, who have human rights, and I want to say that as a grandma myself it makes me livid when an adult tries to force a child into giving a hug or kiss goodbye. Let the child decide! Children have the right

I’m with you! I was raised by people who regarded children as property. Now, as a librarian, I am committed to the idea that children are patrons like any other—granted civic standing all their own—and deserve the privacy that all other patrons (should) enjoy.

Absolutely in agreement! Definitely patrons like any other. 💙

Totally agree

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