Adoptees should have access to information

I might never have seen Joan Griffis' Aug. 8 column if genealogy was not my hobby. A fellow root-digger in Illinois clipped it for me knowing of my interest in adoption reform because I am an adult adoptee. I want to commend her for a clear assessment of an issue that most editorial pages have misinterpreted, if they dared to touch on it at all.

Over the years, I have found genealogists are very often sympathetic to the frustration that often plagues adult adoptees as they search to unravel their biological origins. As most of us know, genealogy is a national obsession that starts for some of us when as schoolchildren – usually fourth or fifth graders – we are given the task of developing a family tree as a school assignment. For adoptees, it is often the first time that our parents and teachers encourage us not to be forthcoming with the truth. That mixed message has damaging consequences that our society is perfectly satisfied to have 9- or 10-year-olds pay.