Glee's plot line is usually full of drama, it is high school after all, but much of their storyline is also centered around adoption. One adoptive mother, Amber Austin, is trying to convince the show's producers to sponsor a public service announcement to answer the issues - which she calls "harmful inaccuracies in an adoption-based story line."
The story line is complicated, but stay with me: One of the main characters of Glee, Rachel Berry(Lea Michele) is an adoptee, adopted by two gay men to be exact, and was reunited with her birth mother last season. The reunion went well, but was difficult for Rachel to process at first.
Two other members of the Glee club were expecting a baby girl after a one night fling. Head cheerleader Quinn(Dianna Agron) and Puck(Mark Salling) chose to place the baby for adoption. In an end of season twist, Rachel's birth mother, Shelby(Idina Menzel), adopted the baby girl.
***THIS SEASON SPOILER ALERT***
So, the birth mom now turned adoptive mom is teaching at the same high school where all three of these teens attend.� She is seeking an open adoption and approached each of the birth parents. Puck has had a visit and it went well. Quinn has decided that she will do whatever she can to get the baby back. The child, Beth, who was named by her birth father Puck, is already several months old.
I like seeing the concept of an open adoption relationship and the fact that a young birth father is taking interest in having a relationship with his child. However, Quinn's character is dealing with a lot of pain. She totally changed her style from cheerleader to more Gothic, punk and is obviously angry. These changes are very real and valid, especially when in the show, her character was kicked out of her family's home for being pregnant. Quinn, at this point, has shown no interest in having visits with the child and had a confrontation with the adoptive mother where she states that she [Quinn] was Beth's "real mother". Her motivation now is to get her child back.
I think that the portrayal of Rachel being confused by her birth mother's presence at her school is also very well written.
I hope that adoptive parents realize:
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This is television and unless the writers of Glee dream up a legal loop hole, there is no way that Quinn could get her child back from the adoptive mother - not in real life.
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Quinn and Puck were invited to be a part of an open adoption. They did not force their way into the adoptive mother's life.
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There are plenty of positives about open adoptions. Some are even mentioned on Glee. Shelby spoke about how she worried about Rachel and didn't want Quinn and Puck to feel that way, or for Beth to have the questions that Rachel had growing up.
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Adopted children watching Glee probably are not worried about birth parents regaining custody of them. Glee has some older teen/adult material at times. I wouldn't let a child younger than 13 to watch, and that's pushing it. I doubt that a child of 13 or 14 is worried about a birth parent taking them away. A much younger child may have those worries, but why are they watching Glee? Yes, the music is awesome, but they can hear that on iTunes.
What do you think of Amber Austin's concerns about Glee? Share your viewpoint.
Source: 'Glee' adoption plot sparks online petition
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