Comments on: Reading the entrails (April 1, 2007) http://stephenkimber.com/2007/04/reading-the-entrails-april-1-2007 writer, editor & teacher Wed, 16 May 2012 14:29:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ron-murdock http://stephenkimber.com/2007/04/reading-the-entrails-april-1-2007/comment-page-1#comment-507 ron-murdock Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:44:17 +0000 #comment-507 Dear Prof. Kimber. Thank you for your article in the Daily Mail March 25th highlighting the sorry state of affairs in the Department of Community Services. That a government department, and the Minister, have to be taken to court (or threatened to be taken there) in order for proper procedures to be carried out is a sorry state of affairs. My personal battle with the Department has been over the policy of closed adoption records in Nova Scotia. I find it rediculous that in this day and age adopted adults are denied access to the name of their natural mother and father unless that parent gives permission for the information to be released. Even more rediculous is the fact that should the natural parent die, the adoptee can only be given their name if 1) they obtain permission from their ADOPTIVE parents or 2) if they can provide the death certificate of the adopted parent. I don\\\\\\\'t know if this area of lack of human rights in Nova Scotia interests you or not - but if it does, you might want to have a look at my blog at the Halifax Herald. The URL for it is http://myconnect.ca/list/85 I would only add that I went to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva in September 2003 and lobbied the Commissioners during Canada\\\\\\\'s five year periodic review. As a result of my lobby, the UN made written recommendation to Canada in October 2004 to open adoption records. Ottawa insists that adoption law is a provincial matter; Nova Scotia still maintains that they are \\\\\\\"satisfied\\\\\\\" with the law as it stands - a law which, as you probably know, keeps adoptees and natural parents in the blame and shame that surrounded adoption for the last six decades or more. kind regards Ron Murdock Amsterdam, The Netherlands Dear Prof. Kimber. Thank you for your article in the Daily Mail March 25th highlighting the sorry state of affairs in the Department of Community Services. That a government department, and the Minister, have to be taken to court (or threatened to be taken there) in order for proper procedures to be carried out is a sorry state of affairs. My personal battle with the Department has been over the policy of closed adoption records in Nova Scotia. I find it rediculous that in this day and age adopted adults are denied access to the name of their natural mother and father unless that parent gives permission for the information to be released. Even more rediculous is the fact that should the natural parent die, the adoptee can only be given their name if 1) they obtain permission from their ADOPTIVE parents or 2) if they can provide the death certificate of the adopted parent. I don\\\\\\\’t know if this area of lack of human rights in Nova Scotia interests you or not – but if it does, you might want to have a look at my blog at the Halifax Herald. The URL for it is

http://myconnect.ca/list/85

I would only add that I went to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva in September 2003 and lobbied the Commissioners during Canada\\\\\\\’s five year periodic review. As a result of my lobby, the UN made written recommendation to Canada in October 2004 to open adoption records. Ottawa insists that adoption law is a provincial matter; Nova Scotia still maintains that they are \\\\\\\”satisfied\\\\\\\” with the law as it stands – a law which, as you probably know, keeps adoptees and natural parents in the blame and shame that surrounded adoption for the last six decades or more.

kind regards
Ron Murdock
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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