Adoptee Rights Coalition

Why Should We Care About the Fight to Open Adoption Records

Adoptee Rights & Access to their Original Birth Certificates

In the US, 48 states continue the practice of sealing adopted children’s original birth certificates (the OBC) upon finalization of the adoption. In all but 4 of those 42 states, adult adoptees do not have unrestricted access to their OBC like all other people do at the age of 18.

Right now, only Alaska, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Alabama  allow unrestricted equal access to all adoptees over the age of 18.  In Rhode Island, they have restored access to all adoptees over the age of 25. Washington State,  Illinois, New Jersey, Indiana,  Colorado, Connecticut, Montana and Ohio now have had successful legislation introduced that does allow many adoptees to access their OBC’s, BUT it is not EQUAL access as they still have birth parent vetos’ in the laws ( in Ohio it;s a one yer window in time where the birth parents can have their names removed, but medical information still goes through) and that gives one party the ability to control another party.  New Jersey, Colorado and Connecticut have also recently changed their laws. Unless the adoptee’s birthparents had the knowledge that they could apply for the OBC before the adoption records were sealed, then that adoptee might never see the record of their birth and even then, the ADOPTEE as an ADULT Citizen of the US is NOT treated the same as other US citizens in regard to their legal documentation.

This is one of the many areas of adoption legislation where the states have power over making the laws. Alaska and Kansas never sealed theirs at all, but the other 48 did, some as early as the 1930’s and some not until the 70’s. Some sealed records laws, such as NY, can trace their roots back to the corrupt practices of Georgia Tann and other unscrupulous lobby groups who must have been hiding something.


Adoptee Rights Bills to Support in 2013

New York Adoptee Rights billsFollow your state group on Facebook and Twitter or sign up for their mailing lists and when they ask you to do something, just do it! Send your letter, make a comment saying you did, and share the post to your own networks, The only way we will ever restore the civil rights of our friends and children is if we work on their doggedly and with purpose together.


Searching For Birthmothers on Huffington Post Live & AOL

I had NO IDEA that was going to happen, but it did. Ok, more exposure, right. Good for the cause and education of the masses. I ignore the stupid comments. I ignore the stupid comments. I ignore the stupid comments. Yes, that s a mantra for me, but please feel free to educated the masses. I guess they had the headlines messed up as well and I was supposed to be divorced three times?

Here’s some doozies:

“Cute, real Cute.. This is a Prime Example they have BIRTH CONTROL Girls Like her Should NOT have Children in the 1st place! That is what she should be



Free Adoption Records: Open the Secrets in New York – part 3

Denied Adoptee T shirtThe adoptee bill of rights would grant people who are adopted the right, upon their 18th birthday, to obtain an original or certified copy of their birth certificate and learn who their biological parents are. The legislation would also ensure adoptees have access to their family’s medical history, if such records exists, as well as any other information birth relatives might choose to provide.


Free Adoption Records: Open the Secrets in New York part 2

Sealed Adoption Records in New YorkThough now the trend of many adoptions are “open”, sharing various information regarding identity, medical history, with shared pictures and letter, visits, and lifelong contact, there is still little hope for those who were born or gave birth during the times of the past. The face of adoption has changed with new advances in the nature of human responses, but the laws still remain the same, ignorant to new information and ways of thinking.


Free Adoption Records: Open the Secrets in New York – part 1

The history of sealed adoption records in the US and the current battle in New York’s legislation to free them open.   Since, my little blog here is now featured in the local Kingston paper online, I thought it would be most fitting to re-publish this piece I wrote specifically about New York and the adoption laws here. Since it is rather long, I broke it up for ease of…


The Adoptee Rights Coalition Needs YOUR Help!

  What happens AFTER the Adoptee Rights Demonstration? The profit in adoption, happened along time ago in most of our lives. As we all know, there is NO money in the work that we do. When it comes to changing laws, the adoption groups are marginalized, underrepresented, ignored, and unfunded. That’s one of the main reasons we have the demonstration at the NCSL Summits. The good old fashioned stick waving chanting protest is…


The 2011 Adoptee Rights Video

Without the San Antonio Heat! Long at last! I know.. it took me FOREVER, but here is the next best thing to being at the Adoptee Rights Protest. It does not due it justice, so all I can say is… START PLANNING TO CHICAGO IN 2012 NOW!!!! Expect a follow up post sometime in the next 3 months! I’m sorry.. I AM LAME!! Tweet


Travel Completed: I Have Arrived in San Antonio for the Adoptee Rights Demonstration

Fourteen hours of traveling is completed. A grand total for three different buses, 2 planes, 3 flights, 6 cites (Kingston to NYC to Newark to St. Louis to Dallas to San Antonio) and about one hour sleep… Worked out exactly as I planned. In fact, it probably could not have gone better. I’m going to have to film a bunch of stuff at this hotel. OMG..I’m quite impressed. Of course…


On the Road to the Adoptee Rights Protest 2011: San Antonio Texas

It’s almost 2am and I have a 6am flight out of Newark. I hate early morning flights, but I search and priced tickets for 6 months and I did a round trip on Southwest for.. Under 240? So 6am it is. Once agin, the start of my Adoptee Rights Protest adventure starts with being up all night! I do miss travel ing companions though. Newark airport at 2am is a…


In Case You Missed It: the 2010 Adoptee Rights Protest

About four and half minutes, it’s almost like being there! “cept the hugs are virtual! I swear I picked the music becasue it fit the “feel” that I wanted, but wow, what do you think of the lyrics? Led Zeppelin Bron-y-aur Stomp “Adoptee Rights” Lyrics All the good times we had, I sang love songs so glad Always smiling, never sad So fine As we walk down the country lanes…


Claud Attends the Adoptee Rights Protest Louisville Kentucky 2010

1 week travelling over 2000 miles in the Bastardmobile on 30 hours sleep! The Adoptee Rights Demonstration is really one of my favorite events of the year and it keeps getting better and better! There is no way I can adequately describe the sum of the experience, but I shall; try.. I shall try! My Adoptee Rights Demonstration Adventure Begins…. Tuesday July 20th: I leave home in Kingston, NY with…


Free CD’s For Adoptee Rights

Tweet for Mary Gauthier’s The Foundling I have 6 copies of Adoptee Mary Gauthier’s The Foundling to give away for free, but you have to Tweet for them! Let me explain… When I first heard of Mary Gauthier and her upcoming CD release titled The Foundling, I was really excited.. so I wrote her an email and she replied! Then when I got to see her perform at the Rosendale…


Call for Submissions: Adoptee Video Project

Looking for Adoptees to Call for Access to their Original Birth Certificates I love Facebook and the collaborative ideas that can come up. This is one of them. Amanda Kutner from www.foundyourmittens.blogspot.com, an adoptee I know through there, contacted me about the makings of the Birthmother video that I helped create with Origins-USA when a bunch of us were at the Donaldson/Ethica Adoption Conference. She said that she would love…