Non adoptees can not know the frustration that we who are adopted face every time we go to the doctors! I went to a new doctor this week and was of course asked to fill out medical history, one page was completely blank I wrote at the top "UNKNOWN ADOPTED" and I had THREE different members of the staff ask me if I just forgot to write the information! No I didn't forget I don't know...does breast cancer run in my family? Unknown Does heart disease run in my family? Unknown.. I could go on and on.
This is a reality that many people deal with every day. I'm over 40 I think that I'm old enough to know my own history!

I am reunited since 1998 with my birthdaughter, and it is not a stretch to say that finding her has saved at least two lives. She may never stop feeling like a throwaway, although I have worked mightily to surround her with love. It is my biggest regret in life, and has colored my days for 40 years. HOWEVER, Jill E. was wrong to take the records. That fact can't be negated by the great wrong the closed-adoption system does to adoptees and birthparents. It only makes all of us who yearn look a little more suspect. I have done reunion research for years, with some success; never would I resort to any methods that would cause a further breach between those who will never get it, and those who suffered losses in adoption. My daughter had a right to her own story, so I found her and told it to her. I think the angels smiled on both of us ten years ago.

I am an adoptee who is searching for birthmother and twin brothers. I agree with Lori Kerns. Unless you are an adoptee you will never really understand what it is like to grow up not knowing anyone who looks like you and wondering as you walk down the street if that woman could be the mother who gave me life. And there are just so many things you wonder about as you grow up. However,until about 4 yrs ago I wasn't really interested in searching. I think like many adoptees I learned to suppress my feelings. My adoptive parents feelings came first. But we are all adults now.Iam 50 yrs old with my own family. It's not like I'm going to leave home and go live with my birth mom (If I find her) I finally realized I needed to find out about the truth of my origins. And my youngest son has a medical problem; the doctors always ask for the medical history, but my children are missing half of theirs! If I found my mother , I would respect whatever decision she made concerning reunion. Searching adoptees aren't out to hurt anyone. sEARCHING IS ABOUT HEALING.

to the commenter who wrote that the accused is a criminal and deserves punishment;

The accused is just that, accused, she hasn't been convicted of anything. She's innocent until proven guilty. And in light of the fact that the police investigators committed indentity fraud by posing as an actual individual to entrap her could comprosises this case beyond prosecution anyway...

Regardless of her guilt or innocence, adult adoptees deserve to access their records of birth just like anyone else.

Too bad she is out of business. I would use her services right now. Would do anything to have even a little piece of the puzzle.She wouldn't have done it, if we wern't so desparate.

Do you know maybe why she was no longer interested in seeing the Birthmother. Could it be because of the actions of the Birthmothers family and all the hurt they caused the adoptee and all of the denial that came from the birth family as well as the Birthmother. Maybe you should ask why the woman is no longer interested in keeping contact with the Birthmother. Also as far as Ms Ekstom is concerned if she did obtain records why is no one upset about why and how she gained access so easily to them. If things were not so "secret and protected". she would not have had a business. As an Adoptee I know that I personally always longed to know my Birthmother and it has nothing to do with her being rich or poor or happier, as someone indicated in a previous comment. Most adoptees the last thing on our minds if weather the family is rich or not. Most of us are looking for acceptance in the one place that we would think would be a given, but it is not. What became of the charges against Ekstrom anyway??

If these adoption are takingplace in states where the records are sealed then at least do this for the child who is being adopted....write us a letter, tell us why you couldnt keep us, what our nationality is, what both parents looked like and the families medical history. Then maybe some of us wouldnt need to find you. We might be happy with this bit of information. Think about it. Why are we being punished because you didnt believe in birth control!

A woman shouldn't have an abortion, because of the right's of the child - and, if a woman puts a child up for adoption, the records need to be open because of the right's of the child. And, if a woman wants the adoption records sealed, it is because she is selfish.

And we have moved backward - women are chattel again and subservient to all around them.