(Brooklyn, NY – 10/1/23): The Citizens Petition and American Adoption Congress celebrates the vital life, and mourns the passing of Florence Anna Fisher Eigenfeld (she was 95 years old).  She passed away early this morning, October 1st.  

In 1971, she placed a classified ad in the New York Times to connect with other adoptees.  This led to the founding of the Adoptees' Liberty Movement Association (ALMA), the first organization dedicated to liberty for adopted persons.  Supported by her beloved husband, Stanley Eigenfeld, she pressed forward with her own search, and legal action that would inspire our 52-year-old human and civil rights movement.  Her work, and the work of her legal team which included Cyril Means and Bert Hirsch, led to the realization that legislative action to restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees was the way forward.  Her 1973 book, The Search for Anna Fisher, continues to be read around the world.  The AAC’s formal legislative policy is a testament to her vision and unrelenting confidence that adoptee rights could and would be restored in her home state, New York, and elsewhere.  The AAC was honored to bestow Florence with a lifetime membership in 2018.  

She celebrated clean adoption reform victories in New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Louisiana, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Minnesota.  At the AAC, we recognize Florence as the founder of our human and civil rights movement. She will never, ever be forgotten and will always have our love, deepest respect, and thanks.  

We offer deepest condolences to Florence’s family in New York, Delaware and Maryland, and to all who were lucky enough to know her and benefit from her work and registry.  She will expect us to continue, and continue for adoptee liberty everywhere on Earth.  

At Florence’s request, there will be no formal memorial services.  Our hearts are heavy at this moment.  Let us grieve in our own way.  

Let us continue, with Florence in our hearts, for all adoptees.  

“We Pass this way but once. We make a mockery of life if we do not pursue our dreams, if we hedge against reality and know but half of what we are.”

“I take a small batch of letters and begin to open them one by one, each bit of another human being’s soul. The first and last of them say simply: “All I want to know is what everyone else knows -and takes for granted: my roots.” 

-Florence Fisher, The Search for Anna Fisher