The Adoption Files

As part of NAAM, here is another short blog post from the early days of The Adoption Files.

Please join me as I speak with TJ Johnson. TJ is a musician, English teacher and Baby Scoop Era adopted person. She writes on Medium as The Onyx Phoenix. She contributed to the anthology Strangers by Adoption. The Onyx Phoenix. – Medium An Open Letter To My Father. An adoptee writes a letter to her… | by The Onyx Phoenix. | Adoptere: Auditing the Narrative | Oct, 2024 | Medium The Onyx Phoenix (@r...

As a part of NAAM, I am sharing a reading of my very first blog post. Thank you for listening!

Please join me as I speak with Baby Scoop Era, domestic adoptee Sophi Richman Fletcher. Sophi shares with us a piece she wrote on the search for her father, what she discovered, and how her discovery has been pivotal in her own self-empowerment. Sophi can be found on Facebook as Sophi Richman Fletcher. Sophi welcomes questions about the search process and on managing expectations in search and reu...

Hi! As we begin yet another National Adoption Awareness Month, the podcast will be sharing on the history and function of the event, along with the stories and perspectives of some of us who are impacted by adoption. Mentioned in the podcast today: About National Adoption Month | Child Welfare Information Gateway Data and Statistics: AFCARS | The Administration for Children and Families https://cr...

Please join the host and their guest Dani Joy as we continue talking about the challenges of deconstructing from our beliefs around adoption and religion. This episode, we explore the ways in which entitlement intersects with and is reinforced by the religious and adoption narratives that we were raised with. Entitlement: There are a lot of different dictionaries with slightly different definition...

Please join Dani Joy and me as we have a conversation about how deconstructing from religion and the adoption narrative has affected how we perceive sexuality. Please be aware that the episode includes discussion of sexual assault. (13) Dismantling Purity Culture | Facebook RAINN | The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization The Trevor Project - Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Young Peopl...

Please join me as I speak with adoptee rights advocates and community builders Anna Thompson and Valerie LeMieux about what they are creating in the state of Michigan. Mentioned in the show: Adoptee Advocates of Michigan Adoptee Advocates of Michigan Adoptee Advocates of Michigan Adoptee Rights Law (Greg Luce) Adoptee Rights Law Center – Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people A...

Please join Dani Joy and I as we discuss some of the pitfalls of deconstructing from the narratives around race, religion and adoption. Dani Joy is a mother of loss to adoption. She can be found on Facebook, as well as on Dani Joy, mother and homesteader – Medium Mentioned in the show: (10) Birth Mom Support And Education | Facebook (10) Estranged & Thriving; Support for Adult Children | Faceb...

Please join me as I speak with transracial, transnational displaced person Lina Vanegas, MSW and advocate. We talk about the intersection of transracial and transnational adoption, racism and colonialism and impacts on mental health and suicidal ideation. Lina can be found at: (12) Facebook Lina Vanegas Msw (@linaleadswithlove) • Instagram photos and videos Lina Vanegas - @linaleadswithlove : r/ab...

Growing up, the two topics that were taboo at the dinner table were religion and politics. Which may be a big part of how we ended up in the mess we find ourselves in. Please join Dani Joy and me as we ramble a bit about how deconstruction changed our political perspectives, and how those changing perspectives tie into our thoughts on adoption and family preservation. Mentioned in the show: TANF W...

Please join Dani Joy and I as we continue our conversation on deconstruction from adoption and religious trauma. Todays episode is a discussion on the Ideal Family narrative. We talk about how the Christian belief system that we experienced created an environment where harm was inevitable. Some resources for people deconstructing from religious trauma: A Little Bit Culty with Sarah and Nippy. Lali...

Please join me as I talk the National Council for Adoption conference with Renee Gelin, founder of Saving Our Sisters and fellow board member and founder of The Family Preservation Project Katie Nelson Burns. We begin our conversation with an overview of the keynote speakers address, and then dive into the first two sessions attended by Katie and Renee. Renee heard about how CPS and DCFS partners...

Please join the host as they wrap up the review of the book Conceiving Christian America; Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer. Mentionedin the episode: Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics (Anthropologies of American Medicine: Culture, Power, and Practice) - Kindle edition by Cromer, Risa. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.co...

Please join the host as they review the interlude Supreme Appeal in the book Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Justice by Risa Cromer. Mentioned in the episode: conceiving christian america - Search (bing.com) Planned Parenthood v. Casey - Ruling, Controversy & Legacy (history.com) Planned Parenthood v. Casey - Ruling, Controversy & Legacy (history.com) June Me...

Please jioin me and guest Dani Joy as we begin a conversation about deconstruction, about asking ourselves the hard questions and why doing so is so important. This is the first in a series of conversations with Dani and others about the intersection of adoption and religious trauma. Dani Joy is a mother of loss to adoption who has been on a deconstruction journey from narratives about race, adopt...

Please join the host as they discuss the interlude A Warm Body from the book Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer. Mentioned in the podcast: Amazon.com : conceiving christian america Spiritual Bypassing: Spiritual Bypassing as a Defense Mechanism (verywellmind.com) The opinion of the host is just that, their opinion. The host is not a lawyer or a f...

Please join Lynn, Lorah and I as we continue a discussion of the book Conceiving Christian America. Today we talk a bit more about disability and adoption. Joining me is Lynn Grubb, The Adopted Genealogist, and Lorah Gerald, The Adopted Chameleon. They can be found on Facebook, IG and Twitter. Mentioned in the show: Conceiving Christian America: Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics (Anthropol...

Today was the first full day of my first in person adoptee experience. The episode is a brief discussion of the sessions I attended, my impressions so far, and a certain amount of rambling.

Please join Lynn Grubb and me as we talk with Lorah Gerald about the book Conceiving Christian America; Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer. Chapter 4 is called Unselection, and discusses the gap between the stated goals of agencies promoting the idea of embryo adoption and the need for marketing what they call less desirable embryos. Lorah can be found online as The Adopted C...

Please join Lynn and I as we discuss the Interlude titled Waiting. Lynn prefers the title Delusional, and its hard to argue. This is the next episode in a series discussing the book Conceiving Christian America; Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer. The focus of the book is on reproductive rights and justice. As adopted people, we hope to explore not just these topics but also...

Please join Donna Jane and I as we talk about adoption, the laws in California, and the right to access to a persons own information. Mentioned in the episode: California Adoptee access to documents: California | Adoptee Rights Law Center Please visit Adoptee Rights Law Center and their affiliate, Adoptees United. Please consider supporting them in their efforts to see legislation passed that ackn...

Hi! Please listen to a short appeal for your help in passing California SB1274, a bill that would restore adoptee access to original birth certificates in the state. This is an equal rights issue, as adopted people are the only peoplle in the United States who are legally barred access to their own birth certificates in all but 15 states. We all deserve to know who we are, what our origins are, wh...

Please join us for part 2 of Ch 3! Listen as we conclude our discussion of the chapter and become completely derailed by a three pound cat. Author Risa Cromer provides an excellent study of the history of the push for embryo personhood and how the language of adoptin is being used by nationalist white evangelical christians to subvert reproductive justice. As adopted people, Lynn and I explore wha...

Please join Lynn Grubb and I as we discuss Chapter 3 of the book Conceiving Christian America; Embryo Adoption and Reproductive Politics by Risa Cromer. While the very well done research in this book centers reproductive politics and white nationalist evangelical christianity use of personhood ideology as regards frozen embryos, Lynn and I talk about the topic primarily through the lens of adopted...