Should Adopted Children Have Access To Birth Records

Adopted Children Should Have Access to Birth Records Adopted children ought to have the right to know who they are and where they came from. Truly, denying people that knowledge is like denying them a part of themselves. A 2005 study showed that the reason adopted people search for their birth families is not because they are looking for a new family, but rather, “for news about the well-being of birth relatives, information about their background, the circumstances of their adoption and answers to questions such as ‘who am I’, ‘why was I given up for adoption’ and ‘was I wanted before given up’, or seeking information for practical reasons such as health” (Triseliotis 10). Additionally, in a study conducted by the Search Institute, it was
In the United States, only Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, and Oregon allow unlimited access to birth records (“Open Records: Why It 's An Issue”). Most states will allow the adoptee, upon request, to view nonidentifying information about their birth parents and relatives. Approximately twenty- eight states allow birth parents to access nonidentifying information; fifteen states allow access to adult birth siblings. Each state varies on how much and what kind of information is given. Usually nonidentifying information is constrained to descriptive details, such as the date and place where the adopted child was born, some information on the parent such as a basic physical description, their race and ethnicity, medical history, even religion. It can also include the birth parents’ education levels and occupations at the time of the adoption, the reason the child was given up for adoption, and information on any existence of the birth parent’s other children. Identifying information, on the other hand, is information that could allow the adoptee or birth relatives to be positively identified with, including but not limited to, names, addresses, and employment. There must be consent on file for identifying information to be released. Without consent, a court order based on a good, convincing cause, must be had to view such information. The evidence in the court order must outweigh the reasons for confidentiality of the other party. This access is not limited to birth parents and adopted children, however. There are about thirty-six states that also allow biological siblings of the adoptee to “seek and release identifying information upon mutual consent” (Child Welfare Information Gateway). Six states, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont, consider the year of the adoption when giving out access to records. In Texas an adoptee who already knows the names of their birth parents are