adoptee birth certificate

RI Adoptees over 25 Years Allowed Original Birth Certificates

/ V.L. Brunskill / 13 Comments

Adoptees searching in Rhode Island take note. It was announced yesterday in the Providence Journal that any adoptee over the age of 25 can now request a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate.

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According to the article, the certificates will not be released until July. However, the health department is announcing the opportunity now, so that adoptees can send in forms early.  There will likely we a deluge of applications, and the sooner you mail in your request the better.

Information on the new law, which takes effect on July 1, 2012, can be found on the State of Rhode Island, Department of Health site.  The forms for requesting your original birth certificate are available here as a Word document . The cost of the request is $20.00.  From the site instructions, it sounds like you can choose between in-person pickup and mailing of the document.  Only the adoptee themselves may receive the document. No other persons will be granted access to the certificate.

Of course, a birth certificate does not guarantee that you will find your birthfamily. However, you will have the correct names to get started.  Also, if your birthparent has filed a contact preference form, you will be sent that along with your birth certificate. This could include a contact address.

Kudos to RI legislators, as this is a giant step in the right direction! We can only hope that many more states follow suit.

UPDATE: One of our readers was kind enough to give additional information. He wrote, “Another valuable piece of information for RI adoptees to note is the RIARG group, RI Adoptee Resource Group, which provides support and resources for local adoptees in a variety of ways. This groups can be found at the following link: https://sites.google.com/site/riadopteeresourcecenter/home.” Please see the reply below by rhodeislandadopteeresourcegroup.

Washington House Passes Open Records Bill with One Big ‘IF”

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underclassrising.net/Flickr

The good news in this Oregon Live article, is that a bill that would allow adult adoptees to obtain their original birth certificates, was passed by the Washington State House, and is off to the Senate for approval.

The bad news, is that the bill contains a clause that would deny adoptees their birth certificates, ‘IF’ the birth parent has filed an affidavit stating that they do not want to be contacted.

Why should a birthparent be allowed to ‘opt out’, thus denying an adoptee pertinent birth records?  This is the age old questions for adult adoptees, why are the birthparent’s rights more important than the innate right to know your identity, and lineage?

I don’t recall signing away that right, what about you?

 

 

Sealed Birth Certificates: Violation of Civil Rights?

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One year ago, Adam Pertman, author of the  book, “Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution is Transforming Our Families – and America,” wrote a ‘Huffington Post‘ article comparing the withholding of adoptee’s original birth certificates, to women’s suffrage, and the fight for African American equal rights.

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Pertman wrote, “it’s about providing legal and moral equality for a segment of our population that is not generally perceived as deprived of any rights: the approximately 7 million Americans who were adopted into their families. And the right denied to most of them is so basic that it almost sounds like a joke: access to their own original birth certificates.”

I agree, wholeheartedly. As an adoptee who found both birthparents, and openly shared this with both adoptive parents, I am still denied my original birth certificate.  Who are they protecting?  In New York, where my adoption took place, records for all traditional adoptions are sealed. This is the case in most American states.

Adoptees should have the same right to information as everyone in America. We did not sign any papers, approving the withholding of information, and should not be held accountable for the actions of adoptive and birth parents, especially once we reach adulthood.  While so many, fight hard for American Civil Rights, our minority is expected to accept the indignity of a stolen identity with a shrug and a smile.

Pertman, a non-adoptee, concluded in the Huffington Post article,  “We should care, and we should feel outraged, for the same reason so many men supported suffrage for women and so many white Americans joined the civil rights struggle — because we should find it offensive when any minority group in society is deprived of equal rights.”

Bravo, Mr. Pertman, Bravo! You can learn more about the man and his Pulitzer-nominated work at the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute site. Pertman is Executive Director.

States Where Adoptees Can Access Birth Certificates

/ V.L. Brunskill / 6 Comments

Below is an alphabetical list of the states that offer some type of access to birth records, along with URLs (addresses) for the required forms.  Keep in mind, that the laws change. All links are up to date as of this posting.

  • Alaska: Records open to adult adoptees age 18 or older. Bureau of Vital Statistics, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, PO Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675
  • Colorado: Records are open for adoptions finalized between July 1, 1951 and June 30, 1976 or after 1999, unless the birthparent has filed a disclosure veto. Additional information and application is here- http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/certs/adoption.html
  • Indiana: Records open for adult adoptees over the age of 21 for adoptions completed prior to January 1, 1994. Identifying information is released only of both the adoptee and the birth parent (named on birth certificate) file a written consent with the registry. Records prior to 1940 are released without court order or mutual consent. Consent form available here: http://www.in.gov/isdh/20371.htm
  • Illinois: People  born on or after Jan. 1, 1946 may obtain their non-certified birth certificate. Adopted or surrendered adults can request a non-certified copy of their original Illinois birth certificate. Only people who are at least 21 can receive a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate.
    http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/vital/adoptbroch.htm
  •  Kansas: records are open for adult adoptees over the age of 18. Records must be requested through the Clerk of the District Court’s office in the county where the adoption took place. Information on birth certificate requests can be found here: http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/adoption_before_adoption.html
  • Montana: Adoptees whose adoption took place on or before 7-1-1967 can obtain a copy of the original birth certificate. Adoptions finalized between 7-1-1967 and 9-30-1997 require a court order. Adoptions finalized on or after 10-1-1997, can obtain a copy of the original birth as long as they are 18 and the birth parent has not requested non-disclosure. Request forms are here: https://dphhs.mt.gov/certificates/ordercertificates.shtml

For some adoptees in these states, information gathering starts with a great leap forward!  If you have additional questions on how to request your records, call the Bureau of Vital Statistics for the state where you were born/adopted.

Ask them what the procedure is for requesting your original birth certificate and any other information held in your adoption file. If they are clueless, and you know the agency that placed you for adoption, call them and ask for more information.