No Longer Denied

Today I want to share with you something that is very close to my heart. This is my story. It's about being an adoptee and finally having my rights restored.

 I was born in a state which denied adult adoptees access to their original birth certificate. Since 1944 adoptees in my state have not been allowed to see or have a copy of their original birth certificate. Once an adoption is finalized, the original birth certificate is sealed and a new one replaces it.

For the past three years I have been involved in a legislative initiative to change that. My friends and I testified before our state legislators. Our adoptive parents came and tesitifed in support of their children. We told our stories. Each one different but with a common thread. We were people denied access to our original birth certificates based on one fact alone...we were adopted.

After a long and hard battle, we won. The legislators of our state listened to us and changed the law. Now adult adoptees, over the age of 25, will have access to their original birth certicates. We will pay the same $20 fee and get the same piece of paper as everyone else. We will cross over that magic line that separated us from every other citizen.

Photo Credit

Today, I will pick up my original birth certificate. It will be in a sealed envelope. I will open it among friends who have been on the same journey. We will offer each other support and comfort. We will laugh and we will cry. We will know who we are. All from one little piece of paper.


For insight and understanding of this issue, please watch this clip by Jean Strauss. If you are adopted or know someone who is, I encourage you to get involved in changing the laws of your state. Currently, only 7 states allow adult adoptees unrestricted access to their original birth certificates. They are Kansas, Alaska, Orgegon, Alabama, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.