TxCare: Response from the BN ExecCom

Question:

(AliciaKLa) writes: **TxCARE believes that during the legislative session, **IF** the need arises, any alternative bill language or other decisions such as withdrawing the bill should be discussed among the individuals who will be impacted by an adoptee access law …ie, individuals touched by a Texas adoption.

Well, fair enough considering the secessionist tendencies of Texans, but why then would you expect help, or even an endorsement, from outsiders? **If you read the TxCARE mission/vision statements on our website, you will have no doubts about where our hearts’ desire lies.

But are you willing to settle for less? It sure sounds to me like you’re trying to keep that as an option. Question: Why is Bastard Nation trying to destroy the credibility of HB 13, a bill that promises exactly what they want?

My guess would be that they think you’ll compromise when the chips are down. I don’t find that your bill has a shitload of credibility after reading your equivocating post. I appreciate Bastard Nation’s uncompromising position and hope they stick to it. whoever It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion, It is by the beans of java that thoughts acquire speed, The hands develop shaking, The shaking becomes a warning, It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.

Response:

Read it. If that’s not waht you intended, then it was poorly written. In addition, Texas adoption activists and friends of TxCARE know these facts:

The facts are, TxCare is refusing to say that they’ll pull the bill if veto provisions are added. That’s a problem, for obvious reasons. You’ve stated that TxCare has not decided whether or not they’ll support vetoes, but yet you expect everyone to jump on board because it’s your "heart’s desire". We’re activists here. TX adoptees depend on us to give them an accurate read. We think your bill is great. We hope that it passes as is. We want to tell adoptees to support you in your efforts. What we don’t want is for a bunch of people to get screwed over a la Delaware, where they write to their legislators and expend energy to help get a bill passed, only to have it at the last minute completely gutted with anti-adoptee provisions in the form of disclosure vetoes. Alicia, if you look at this objectively, I’m sure that you will realize that it is only fair to everyone that TxCare is upfront about what they will and will not accept in amendments before they ask people to support their efforts. No other effective organization or group expects people to sign on blind. We know what you *want*, we know what your *intentions* are, what we want to know is, what will you DO if veto amendments are proposed and pass. Here in WA, and in other legislative efforts, we wrote up something that said we had told our legislative sponsors to pull the bill in the event that veto amendments were attached. We were then able to tell people what they were supporting when they wrote in favor of our legislation because they knew upfront that it would never turn into something they could not support. Shea – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -**HB 13 says nothing about contact vetos and HB 13 is the bill that TxCARE helped write and will support. **TxCARE did NOT compromise during the last Legislative session when we supported HB 1835, also an "unconditional access" adoptee rights bill. **There are NO vetoes of any kind in the adoptee rights planks in either the Republican or Democratic Party Platforms. **TxCARE leaders have never taken a public stance about *compromise* legislation because the Adoptee Rights Resolution and HB 13 have consistently SHOWN WHAT WE SUPPORT – unconditional access for adult adoptees to their original birth certificates and court records. **There have been no *public statements* by TxCARE Board members about supporting contact vetoes or any other alternatives. **TxCARE believes that during the legislative session, **IF** the need arises, any alternative bill language or other decisions such as withdrawing the bill should be discussed among the individuals who will be impacted by an adoptee access law …ie, individuals touched by a Texas adoption. TxCARE- Talk and TxCARE’s e-mail database provides us with the mechanism for obtaining such feedback very quickly. **If you read the TxCARE mission/vision statements on our website, you will have no doubts about where our hearts’ desire lies. Question: Why is Bastard Nation trying to destroy the credibility of HB 13, a bill that promises exactly what they want? Alicia Lanier President, TxCARE Visit http://www.txcare.org to see the full text of Texas House Bill 13 – an adoptee rights bill that would give Texas adoptees unconditional access to their birth certificates.

Response:

Feel free to distribute to lists and online forums as you see fit. Bastard Nation is pleased that Texas is the next state to consider unconditional access for adult adoptees. However, TxCare has not expressed their intention to withdraw the bill should anti-adoptee veto clauses be added. Furthermore, in light of public statements and articles by TxCare spokeswoman Alicia Lanier, which support a system of vetoes (see her recent article in the CUB Communicator), at this time Bastard Nation cannot endorse or assist in the TxCare effort. With the passage of Measure 58 in Oregon, we hope that adoption activists will recognize that unconditional access is not only possible, it is the only kind of legislation that serves the dignity and rights of adoptees. Just as important, it is simply good activist strategy to decide as an organization what you *will* and *will not* accept should amendments be proposed to your legislation. Until TxCare does that, or makes the reform community aware of their decisions in this regard, we urge caution in supporting their bills. Please see the Bastard Nation position papers to learn about anti-adoptee provisions such as contact and disclosure vetoes. http://www.bastards.org/activism/position.htm See the Delaware pages for an object lesson in tactical activism. http://www.bastards.org/activism/de/de2.htm Thank you for supporting adoptee rights and dignity. Sincerely, The Bastard Nation Executive Committee http://www.bastards.org/

Response:

**Please feel free to forward this reply** RE the statement: <<articles by TxCare spokeswoman Alicia Lanier, which support a system of vetoes (see her recent article in the CUB Communicator), read the article or read something into it that I did not say and certainly did not intend. In addition, Texas adoption activists and friends of TxCARE know these facts: **HB 13 says nothing about contact vetos and HB 13 is the bill that TxCARE helped write and will support. **TxCARE did NOT compromise during the last Legislative session when we supported HB 1835, also an "unconditional access" adoptee rights bill. **There are NO vetoes of any kind in the adoptee rights planks in either the Republican or Democratic Party Platforms. **TxCARE leaders have never taken a public stance about *compromise* legislation because the Adoptee Rights Resolution and HB 13 have consistently SHOWN WHAT WE SUPPORT – unconditional access for adult adoptees to their original birth certificates and court records. **There have been no *public statements* by TxCARE Board members about supporting contact vetoes or any other alternatives. **TxCARE believes that during the legislative session, **IF** the need arises, any alternative bill language or other decisions such as withdrawing the bill should be discussed among the individuals who will be impacted by an adoptee access law …ie, individuals touched by a Texas adoption. TxCARE- Talk and TxCARE’s e-mail database provides us with the mechanism for obtaining such feedback very quickly. **If you read the TxCARE mission/vision statements on our website, you will have no doubts about where our hearts’ desire lies. Question: Why is Bastard Nation trying to destroy the credibility of HB 13, a bill that promises exactly what they want? Alicia Lanier President, TxCARE Visit http://www.txcare.org to see the full text of Texas House Bill 13 – an adoptee rights bill that would give Texas adoptees unconditional access to their birth certificates.

Response:

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