Adoptee Activism: I Am Not Your ‘Child for All Purposes’

Closed adoption emerged in the mid-20th century as a socio-legal intervention to address ‘problems’ with the care of children, ex-nuptial births, and couples experiencing infertility. Governing adoption practices is the Adoption Act 1955, which is still in effect in Aotearoa New Zealand, despite a general consensus that it is out of step with contemporary thinking and social mores. As part of current efforts to reform this law, adult adoptees have taken up the challenge of speaking out about the effects of closed stranger adoption and what needs to change. This article explores three adoptee scholars’ experiences of, and reflections upon, their activism, emphasising the unique ways in which being subject to adoption complicates and constrains action. Adoptees’ struggles for recognition are somewhat perpetuated rather than resolved through activism, evidencing the self- reinforcing power of the institution of adoption.