Essential  Q&A

Q:  What's wrong with most current state statutes regarding adult adoptees' right to their original birth certificates?

A:  They are unjust and immoral; a demeaning premise that adopted persons are somehow less capable or deserving of managing their own personal information than non-adopted individuals. Every human being has a fundamental right to learn who they are and where they came from.

 

Q: Have adult adoptees ever had direct access to their original birth certificates in the past?

A:  Yes. Legislative history reveals that adult adoptees could obtain a copy of their original birth certificate when the dual birth certificate system was first implemented in the early 1930's.

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Q: How are other states addressing this issue? Is there model legislation available?

A: Kansas and Alaska never sealed original birth certificates from adult adoptees. Since 1995, thirteen more states—Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont—have retroactively restored unrestricted rights to adult adoptees and we consider all their policies to be model legislation.

 

Q: What national organizations support access to OBCs and certain adoption records for adult adoptees?

​A: Many! ​Click here to view their policy statements.

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Q: Does this issue usually have bipartisan support?

A: Yes, because truth and transparency in adoption is just plain good policy that everyone easily gets on board with. Bills have been sponsored and cosponsored by members of both parties in a variety of states.