In reading the stats on forms relating to adoption disclosure which I posted yesterday, the most noticeable thing is the jump in disclosure veto requests in May. This certainly arises from the June 1 deadline and the press coverage of it.
Now, I'm sure everyone who filed a disclosure veto believes they had a good reason to do so. However, I believe that some of what happened is a case of what I'll call "coupon mentality": that artifically-imposed time limits skew our estimations of worth.
If you offer someone an open-ended coupon, say for 2-for-1 sandwiches, there's a good chance it may never be used, and ultimately be forgotten or thrown out. If, on the other hand, you mandate (as most coupons do) that it be redeemed before a certain deadline, the coupon bearer becomes acutely aware of what happens on the the moment of expiry, when the worth of the coupon suddenly drops from "one sandwich" to "nothing".
If the bearer really wanted a free sandwich, he would've used it in either case. I think most of will agree, though, that with a time limit the chance of the coupon being used goes up considerably.
Whether secrecy is or isn't a right of adoptees and birth parents is a question for debate. But when you promise to take this secrecy away, many people who have always lived with it without strong opinions will suddenly strive to protect it because this thing (secrecy) of uncertain value is being transformed into something of zero value.
Open records advocates, myself included, would argue that the secrecy was never worth all that much and that the value of knowledge and openness is far greater. The fact that so many vetoes were filed in May saddens me, because I think that lot of these are a reaction to a climate of hyperventilation and fear for which many people over many years are responsible. The hopes of many well-meaning people will soon be dashed, unnecessarily, by cold and institutional rejection letters which are probably even now in the mail. I hope I don't get one.
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