Television shows like "Oprah" would have us believe that reunions between biological parents and the children they placed for adoption always end with happy tears of reconciliation. But a woman from New Jersey has ended her reunion with a lawsuit.

"According to the complaint, the woman ... received a letter from the Division of Youth and Family Services in August 2008 saying that an adopted adult was seeking information about her birth parents," the Philadelphia Daily News reported. "In the letter, DYFS asked her to confirm her identity and whether she wanted to pursue the matter."

A June 23 article on the AOL News website reported that "the Atlantic City woman, whose name is being withheld from the press, gave up her child after being raped. The lawsuit, filed June 18, claims she felt 'violated, in shock and short of breath,' after her biological child showed up at her home in December."

The woman assumed her lack of response would close the matter, but her adult daughter showed up on her doorstep four months later. This is a situation that highlights the continuing debate over allowing adoptees to access previously sealed information about their biological parents.

Labels: laws, reunions

Posted By: Aspen/CRC