AMERICAN INDIAN ADOPTEES: NCAI STATEMENT ON BABY VERONICA

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

NCAI STATEMENT ON BABY VERONICA

Published on Jul 18, 2013

Washington, DC - The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has released the following statement regarding yesterday’s South Carolina Supreme Court order calling on the South Carolina Family Court to order a transfer of custody of Baby Girl – Veronica - to the Adoptive Couple involved:

“We are witnessing the final steps in a forced removal of a Native child from her father, her family, and her Native community.

NCAI is astounded and alarmed that the South Carolina Supreme Court has issued an order to transfer Veronica, the daughter of Dusten Brown, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, to the adoptive couple and doing so without holding a hearing to determine the best interests of the child. There is no scenario in which the best interests of this three year old child will be served by removing her from her loving father and family raising her in Oklahoma. Mr. Brown pursued his right to care for his biological daughter since the moment he learned of the adoption. A removal of the child will be extremely traumatic for her and is clearly not in her best interest."

4 comments:

JenniferJuly 18, 2013 at 8:03 PM
I am devastated by the recent court ruling and hope Dusten still has a chance to keep his daughter. This case is beyond tragic. And for people who celebrate the outcome--they should take note that their own unwed sons and grandsons could someday suffer the loss of a child through adoption. This case impacts birth father rights in general too, and when birthfathers lose children, so do the rest of the natural family. What a nightmare.
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RobinJuly 19, 2013 at 3:34 PM
While I love this statement, I do wish everyone would be very careful to refer to the Copabiancos as Veronica's potential or prospective adoptive parents. Those who are not familiar with adoption will assume that she had been adopted and that Mr. Brown practically stole her back. And that is far from the case. I don't mean to nitpick but I think this is an important distinction.
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LTJuly 19, 2013 at 3:36 PM
Thank you Robin and Jennifer for your comments - they are greatly appreciated!
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Two Worlds anthology (Vol. 1)

“…sometimes shocking, often an emotional read…this book is for individuals interested in the culture and history of the Native American Indian, but also on the reading lists of universities offering ethnic/culture/Native studies.”

“Well-researched and obviously a subject close to the heart of the authors/compilers, I found the extent of what can only be described as ‘child-snatching’ from the Native Americans quite staggering. It’s not something I was aware of before…”

“The individual pieces are open and honest and give a good insight into the turmoil of dislocation from family and tribe… I think it does have value and a story to tell. I was affected by the stories I read, and amazed by the facts presented…. because it is saying something new, interesting and often astonishing.”

Review: 'Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption,' by Susan Devan Harness https://t.co/aF2s87Wn03
— TraceHentz (@StonePony33) December 19, 2018

Let that sink in. pic.twitter.com/Wku2L9hXPv
— Native Life (@_Native_Life) December 5, 2017

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which was passed to address America's ugly history with child removals from Native American families. #DefendICWA #UpholdICWA @ChronicleSC https://t.co/hp0GNdIUVN
— NICWA (@NativeChildren) November 8, 2018

Good words

Priscilla Sharp

I agree with you on the caring of “orphans” – true orphans, not “paper orphans” as Kathryn Joyce describes in her book, The Child Catchers. The most important thing to remember, however, is that the orphan’s original identity and family connection and heritage must remain intact and available to him or her forever. This business of adoption – and I do mean the multi-billion-dollar, unregulated business of adoption – of wiping out the child’s original identity, falsifying birth records with the adopters’ names, altering facts such as place of birth, severing familial kinship, must stop … Immediately. And the outrageous injustices foisted upon adoptees and their families for the past 100 years must be addressed and righted. We are faced today with six to seven million people who were basically legally kidnapped, sold to the highest bidder, their identities falsified, and placed in a lifelong, imposed witness protection program for which there is no legal recourse. Then told by church officials, agency and government functionaries that they have no right to know who they are, to do genealogy or learn about important family medical history, or know the identity of or associate with blood relatives. This is how the Judeo-Christian society has interpreted “caring for orphans”, for it’s own selfish interests and greed. Starting with Georgia Tann, the woman charged with kidnapping and selling 5,000 children, most of whom were given to the rich and powerful who then colluded with her to “seal” adoptions and cover their nefarious activities (see, for example, Gov. Herbert Lehman, NY, 1935).

Link: http://adoptionvoicesmagazine.com/adoptee-view/dear-christian-who-is-praying-for-an-infant-to-adopt/