[SViet10]

For those of you who are upset and have heard about the ABC News show 20/20 airing an open adoption segment by using the reality crazy to promote it, go to

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/..._040426-1.html

to read about it, and then go to:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/2...mail_form.html

to email them and let them know how you feel!

Here's what I wrote:

Dear 20/20 Staff,
I am very disappointed with the show that will be airing this Friday on open adoption. My husband and I have been trying to adopt openly for the past year and have had 3 birthmothers change their minds. This is a very personal and private process that should be kept between the birthmother, adoptive couple, the agency and lawyer handling the adoption. Although the idea of getting information to the public of how open adoption works is a good idea, filming the couples and putting a spin on "competition" is WRONG! I will not be watching your program in the future.

Sincerely,

S.

[icunurse]

Well, at least the potential adoptive parents have been upgraded from "desperate" to "anxious" in the written promos.

[shirleyville]

Barbara Walters TOTALLY appologized this morning, on one of the morning news shows, for the way this segment had been marketed.....she said it had been handled poorly.....and she was sorry. She said the offensive spin had been removed from the promos and that, again, she was sorry.
She explained that the adoptive couples in this segment WANTED their stories to be told, in order to shed some light into the intensely personal journey that adoption is. She said they didn't want the veil of secrecy to be surrounding the process any longer.....
The birthmom wanted folks to understand open adoption and the emotions/decisions that birthmothers endure.
I, personally, think it will be a valuable resource.
Sally

[lisa in venice]

I heard on NPR yesterday that the network had recieved such an overwhelming amount of letters, emails and calls that they pulled the ads and edited the program to remove the "game show" spin. Good work to all who called, emailed and wrote!

lisa

[mglv]

here's the new promo on their site:


http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/...mail_main.html

[SViet10]

Thanks to all of you who responded to my email - Thanks to Marissa who put on the new link of the new promotion.

I'm still not convinced that this is the right way to inform people. Being one prospective parent, I've been through the pain of a birthmother changing her mind and I'm not sure that this should be shown as a part of the process. I believe that you can do this kind of informational show without putting the prospective parents and birthmother in front of the nation and watch while 4 couples go through the agony of not being selected. To me it is still "reality TV" which I really don't agree with; this is REALLY going over the top with me.

I would rather see a piece done on the Open Adoption process and maybe interview others who have gone through it - I'm still not sure I will watch. Just my opinion.

S.