Protest the National Council for Adoption (NCFA)

Date
Thursday, July 26, 2007

Time
5:00 pm ET - 9:00 pm ET

Location
Outside the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001

We'll assemble outside the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave, where NCFA will be holding its National Adoption Conference, to protest the NCFA agenda. The hotel is a short walk from the Union Station Metro and Amtrak station.

About the National Council for Adoption (NCFA):

The NCFA is using taxpayer dollars, through the Infant Adoption Awareness Act, to promote counseling for pregnant women that does not inform them of abortion, discourages them from raising their own children, and pushes adoption. In a Guttmacher Institute study, the majority of family planning providers interviewed had negative experiences with the NCFA's training curriculum. For example, one counselor said she said she was given "tips and techniques...about how to work against [women's] resistance, make them proud of their decision and convince them that adoption is a good choice." One family planning provider from Planned Parenthood of Collier Country, Florida, said she was told to repeatedly bring up adoption as an option, even if a woman says she is not interested. According to Guttmacher, "These examples border on coercion and clearly violate both Title X [of the Public Health Service Act] guidelines and principles of medical ethics."

Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, said "NCFA is an umbrella organization for adoption agencies that are mostly Christian and Mormon—many of which have certain moral, religious and philosophical views that do not comport with the notion of presenting women facing an unintended pregnancy with all of their options in a neutral, unbiased way." Pertman also expressed concern about the kind of adoption advocated by NCFA: "The type of adoption that the NCFA curriculum promotes is the old-style, closed, secretive and still-stigmatized form that is no longer accepted by most adoption practitioners, who favor greater honesty and openness in the process."

According to the NCFA's own website, it supports legalized infant abandonment (called "safe havens"). NCFA also opposes the right of adoptees to access their original birth certificates, even when they are adults.

Things to bring:

Make signs and bring brochures for your organization.

What to wear:

Adoption truth t-shirts and pins are encouraged.

Please register, so we know how many people to expect. Everyone is welcome, even if they are not registered.

Legal stuff: We applied for an assembly permit from the DC police and expect to receive approval in July. DC law prohibits blocking the street or the hotel entrance.

Supporting Organizations

OriginsUSA

Adoption Crossroads

Parents and Professionals for Family Preservation and Protection

NOTE: Anyone needing a ride from central NJ, please contact email@AdvocatePublications.com