ARE YOU A SECRET SON OR DAUGHTER TOO?

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[dropcap size=dropcap]W[/dropcap]elcome to our family room of sorts. We’d serve coffee, tea, and cocktails if we could, but instead we’re serving stories—heartwarming stories and heartbreaking stories, and those that are often both.

We call these stories “adoptee tales” because they are the truths and half-truths told to the sons and daughters given up for adoption in the decades after World War II. According to Ann Fessler’s book, The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of the Women who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, there were more than 1.5 million of us born to those women. While most homes for unwed mothers eventually closed, the practice of sealing birth records continued in most states for many years to come.

These were the decades when state laws required that an adoptee’s original identity be hidden and a new identity issued. What happened next? Identities and families were lost and found, or never found, or never searched for—a kaleidoscope of experiences, which is why it takes many voices to tell this adoption story.

Feel free to look around, and join our online home for inspiration and community. In addition to stories, you can learn more about the sealed records era, discover your rights to your original birth certificate, stay up to date on the latest news and resources through our blog, and—the best part—meet other adoptees. Join the discussion. We can’t wait to meet you!

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