What is the name of your state? Louisiana
I am the Caucasian mother of 2 Asian children (through adoption). The incident in question happedn at an ENT's office being interviewed by the scheduling person trying to schedule a date for my daughter's tonsilectomy.
After choosing a date for her surgery and going through the details, the girl looked over at us and said "she's adopted?" Thinking she was just curious, I said yes. The girl then said that we (my husband and I) would have to give them a copy of the court documents saying that she was ours before they would do her surgery. I asked them why (my son has had surgery and we didn't need to provide anything like that). She couldn't really tell me why she just said they needed it. She said it had to be court documents, her birth certificate was not good enough.
When I got home, I talked to a friend of mine who used the same doctor for her daughter's tonsilectomy and asked if they were asked if their daughter was adopted. She said no. I asked if they needed to provide any proof that their daughter was theirs. She said no. I asked if the doctor's office needed anything (birth certificate or something). Answer no, nothing but insurance information, birth date and allergy info.
I called the doctor's office and spoke with the officer manager. I wanted to know why we had to prove our relationship but others did not. She told me that in "special cases" they ask for documentation. She sited that when a family is divorced and one parent contests the surgery, they need to know who can legally make medical decisions. I understand that, but there isn't anyone contesting this, my husband and I are married and both agree on the surgery. I asked if they ask all their families if they are adopted or if they only ask families who don't "match" and she could not answer. I asked if she were having her child scheduled for the surgery would she need to provide any documentation, she said, "no, because I am his legal guardian." I am my daughter's legal guardian. Then she just said, we do not discriminate in our office.
Well, I am being asked to provide information and paperwork that other families do not need to provide based on the way our family looks. We were asked questions that other families are not asked based solely on the way we look. Other families words are taken at face value and we have to prove our answers based. For the first time in 5 years (since our oldest child came home), I feel very much like we are being discriminated against. I would like to get some legal opinions on this and suggestions about what can be done (besides finding another doctor to do the surgery, which we are already planning to do).
I am the Caucasian mother of 2 Asian children (through adoption). The incident in question happedn at an ENT's office being interviewed by the scheduling person trying to schedule a date for my daughter's tonsilectomy.
After choosing a date for her surgery and going through the details, the girl looked over at us and said "she's adopted?" Thinking she was just curious, I said yes. The girl then said that we (my husband and I) would have to give them a copy of the court documents saying that she was ours before they would do her surgery. I asked them why (my son has had surgery and we didn't need to provide anything like that). She couldn't really tell me why she just said they needed it. She said it had to be court documents, her birth certificate was not good enough.
When I got home, I talked to a friend of mine who used the same doctor for her daughter's tonsilectomy and asked if they were asked if their daughter was adopted. She said no. I asked if they needed to provide any proof that their daughter was theirs. She said no. I asked if the doctor's office needed anything (birth certificate or something). Answer no, nothing but insurance information, birth date and allergy info.
I called the doctor's office and spoke with the officer manager. I wanted to know why we had to prove our relationship but others did not. She told me that in "special cases" they ask for documentation. She sited that when a family is divorced and one parent contests the surgery, they need to know who can legally make medical decisions. I understand that, but there isn't anyone contesting this, my husband and I are married and both agree on the surgery. I asked if they ask all their families if they are adopted or if they only ask families who don't "match" and she could not answer. I asked if she were having her child scheduled for the surgery would she need to provide any documentation, she said, "no, because I am his legal guardian." I am my daughter's legal guardian. Then she just said, we do not discriminate in our office.
Well, I am being asked to provide information and paperwork that other families do not need to provide based on the way our family looks. We were asked questions that other families are not asked based solely on the way we look. Other families words are taken at face value and we have to prove our answers based. For the first time in 5 years (since our oldest child came home), I feel very much like we are being discriminated against. I would like to get some legal opinions on this and suggestions about what can be done (besides finding another doctor to do the surgery, which we are already planning to do).