Adoptees have rights; so do biological parents
I am writing in response to the letter, "I am my parents' child, not their adopted child," by Lisa Bernard (Nov. 28) concerning the Senate's vote to open adoption records in birth certificates.
The rights of both the biological parents and the adoptee are sacred, and to try to place value on either party's rights is preposterous.
The biological parents of the adoptee have a right to the privacy of their identity, particularly if the parents do not wish to have their identity or reasons for adoption revealed.
Their reasoning for this secrecy can be for many things, including well-being or protection of both parties.
The only advantage of having this information available would be for biological history, which at this point can only be attained with parental permission.
Autonomy also plays a factor in the parents' rights as it requires the capacity to integrate the past while making decisions about the future. The parents should not have to feel threatened by invasion of privacy and instead, be able to write their own life stories while handling their situations accordingly.
Caroline Deal
Burlington