The Declassified Adoptee

In an effort to make my work more accessible on more platforms to more ages and media preferences, I can be found on YouTube and at my new podcast. My podcast focuses on providing an orated version of new blog posts. And my YouTube vlogs focuses on updating topics I may have already written about and telling the stories about the time in history when I originally wrote on a topic. I hope to post a vlog every Tuesday. I will try my best. Last week's vlog focused on the question that is frequently posed to adoptees, "Would you rather have been aborted." It was inspired by several posts in The Declassified Adoptee blog archives with this post from 2013 being the most relevant: " Why Conflating Adoption and Abortion Really Isn't Helping Anything ." If you liked this vlog, please comment, "like," and subscribe at YouTube. It really helps me out.

I read the Fifty Shades of Grey books at the suggestion of my sister-in-law who has dual degrees in communications and English and is a popular books maven of sorts. She has the uncanny ability to predict whenever any bit of media will become relevant in pop culture. If you want to look like a pop culture genius at your book club, you ask her for a title to recommend to the group. If you want to know what basically unknown lit is going to explode into everyday conversations tomorrow, she can tell you that too. Her suggestion regarding Fifty Shades fell into the latter category. "I'll apologize in advance," she said. It's the worst thing I think I've read in a long time." Indeed, it was so bad that I hesitated to write about it at all. I originally wrote this piece years ago to address the book trilogy. With the release of the movie grossing over $81 million dollars in its first three days, it's time to update the piece and release it anew.  Al...

I was sitting in a small diner on the outskirts of a rather depressed town.  In between patient home visits, I munched on my sandwich while enjoying the harmony of clinking glasses, forks tapping against plates, and spoons chiming as they swirled through cups of coffee.  The stream of light that poured in from the window made my hand feel warm as the sun cast its beams across the case notes I was reviewing.  One of many news shows attempting to forecast the Presidential election was humming lowly on the flat screen that adorned the boldly painted stucco wall.  The gentleman at the table across from me was engaging a woman who was sitting across the room from him in conversation.  The TV screen broadcast something about the latest abortion debate, and a loud conversation between the two ensued. "I do not think women should be able to have abortions.  That's a life and you shouldn't just be able to get rid of it!"  The woman called across t...

In this clip, Brian Stanton takes on political attitudes and beliefs when it comes to conception from rape by raising his own voice as an adoptee who was conceived from rape.  I am so excited to have contributed to a project Brian is working on to give insight into the minds and hearts of those who conceived from rape and those who were conceived from rape.  Thanks, Brian!

This post has been updated and republished. Read the new version here .