1
Blood can help make family, but family often transcends blood.DaShanne Stokes
2
People think that LGBTs adopting children will hurt them, but it's not being in loving homes that hurts children most.DaShanne Stokes
3
Laws forbidding adoptees from accessing their original birth certificates are outdated and need to be changed today.DaShanne Stokes
4
Discovering that I was adopted redefined my entire world, but it taught me that who you are doesn't change.DaShanne Stokes
5
Being denied their original birth certificates isn't just a problem for adoptees. It's a social problem, requiring social change.DaShanne Stokes
6
Adoptees deserve open records because deception and partial truths do not set us free.DaShanne Stokes
7
What matters most is not 'what' you are, but 'who' you are.DaShanne Stokes
8
Adoption isn't just a childhood experience, it's a life-long experience.DaShanne Stokes
9
It's illegal to deny people their records due to race or gender. Adoptees deserve the same rights and protections.DaShanne Stokes
10
Destiny is not always preordained. Life is about making choices. Our lives are the sum of all the choices we make, the bridges we cross, and the ones we burn. Our souls cast long shadows over many people, even after we are gone. Fate, luck, and providence are the consequence of our freedom of choice, not the determinants. When justice is served by following our principles, making good decisions brings us inner peace.Judith Land
11
Adoption is a lifelong journey. It means different things to me at different times. Sometimes it is just a part of who I am. Other times it is something I am actively going through.Kelly DiBenedetto
12
Adoptee rights are everyone's rights, and they deserve to be protected.DaShanne Stokes
13
If the system were designed to protect adoptees, why do so many have to fight for their rights?DaShanne Stokes