The Adoption Files

Ande Stanley

The Adoption files seeks to provide a place for adoptees and allies to discuss the laws preventing adoptees from accessing their identities, and the emotional and physical challenges adoptees face in the process of dealing with the obstacles we face. We recognize the need to expose the problematic aspects of the adoption industry and the narrative they perpetuate. We will not only talk about the laws and the challenges they create, but also the ways that the mythology around adoption impacts the way we move through our lives, as adopted people and as mothers and other family members.

  1. Oct 1

    Adoption Abolition: A Conversation

    What does Adoption Abolition mean? Please join me and my guest Lorah Gerald as we talk about some of our thoughts on this topic. Lorah is a Baby Scoop Era, Domestic US adopted person. She can be found athttps://lorahgerald.com/ There are some statistics quoted in the episode that may be difficult to believe, and hard to find. This is because they change from year to year, and the way you input your query changes the results you will receive. I am going to just list some of the sources for information and you can go and check them out. Regarding the number of private infant adoptions in the United States per year-these numbers are not adequately captured, as reporting is uneven and not tracked in many locations. The best we can do is estimates based on different adoption organizations. This means the numbers can vary even in a single calendar year. The numbers also vary depending on whether you consider the sale of frozen embryos to be adoption, which legally is not considered adoption, even if there is zero genetic connection between the birthing person and the embryo. This is because an embryo is not a person. It is a tissue transfer. Unicefs reports on children in substitute care and on quality of life for children and families https://unioncitizenship.com/best-family-friendly-countries/ childbenefitstracker.org https://gitnux.org/current-foster-care-statistics/ World Population Review https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-quality-of-life Scotland's baby boxes: https://www.mygov.scot/baby-box vs the US version, which is not a resource program: https://stopshbbnow.org/ The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-health Thank you for listening!

  2. Aug 24

    I am terrible at titles. Continuing the conversation about spiritual trauma as people impacted by adoption

    Yes, I am terrible at titles, and hate to mislead. Just laying that out there. Dani Joy, mother of loss to adoption and me, late discovery adopted person (as well as an intercountry adoptee from foster care in the UK to the US) continue to talk about deconstructing from the adoption narrative and from religious and spiritual trauma. What do they have to do with each other? Family loss is a profound spiritual trauma, and the belief systems we grew up in promote and glorify family loss via adoption. Dani can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoy Dani enjoys hearing from people. We are using the book Holy Hurt as a scaffold for our conversation. The book and information about the author can be found at: https://www.hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt Mentioned in the episode: https://drlauraeanderson.com/ Moms and adopted people are overrepresented in statistics for mental health issues, including suicidal ideation. Isolation and grief are two issues that profoundly impact our community. If you are in need of support, please reach out to someone. I am including some links to mental health helplines, as well as the link to Concerned United Birthparents and to Saving our Sisters. If anyone is aware of any adoptee -centric helplines that are not in some way controlled by the adoption industry, please let me know. Thank you! https://rainn.org/ https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-health https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ https://concernedunitedbirthparents.org/ https://www.savingoursistersadoption.org/ Saving our Sisters and CUB are not mental healthcare providers, but are or are aware of support groups and resources for moms. The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional Thank you for listening!

  3. Aug 18

    Feel the Feelings: continuing our conversation on spiritual trauma

    Hi! Please join me and my guest host Dani Joy as we continue with the next section of our conversation on spiritual trauma from our perspectives as a mother of loss to adoption and as a late discovery adopted person, raised in white, Christian contexts. Dani Joy is a mom and a homesteader. She can be found at:https://medium.com/@danijoy https://www.hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt Mentioned in the episode: https://editionsdujournal.groupelivre.com/products/ne-mappelez-pas-roxana?variant=48067092021505 https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=core+emotions+chart&form=HDRSC3&first=1 https://buddhistlearning.org/how-to-meditate-a-beginners-guide-to-buddhist-meditation/ This is a beginners quide to Buddhist meditation principles. Including this here is not an endorsement of a religion or a religious practice. This is provided because it includes what I was taught when attending meditation sessions at a local Buddhist monastery. Exploring our emotions, learning to recognize and to name them, can be overwhelming if we are not used to doing so. If you are feeling dysregulated or distressed, please seek support. I am including here links to some resources that might align with your needs. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ https://rainn.org/ https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-health The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening!

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The Adoption files seeks to provide a place for adoptees and allies to discuss the laws preventing adoptees from accessing their identities, and the emotional and physical challenges adoptees face in the process of dealing with the obstacles we face. We recognize the need to expose the problematic aspects of the adoption industry and the narrative they perpetuate. We will not only talk about the laws and the challenges they create, but also the ways that the mythology around adoption impacts the way we move through our lives, as adopted people and as mothers and other family members.

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