Adoptee Rights are Human Rights
Our Movement
We have two birth certificates! As individuals who were adopted in our youth, we were subject to a dual birth certificate system in place and therefore have two birth certificates. One of them, our original birth certificate, has the facts of our birth event. When we were adopted, we were issued an amended birth certificate and then subject to another policy in place that meant we lost the right to access our original birth certificate. All we want is that right back! We just want the right to request an uncertified copy of our own original birth certificate. That's it. No more. No less.
What is the dual birth certificate system?
When a minor is adopted, their identity is altered through a dual birth certificate system in place mandating their original and factual birth certificates be replaced with an amended one at the time of their adoption. This happens in every state. It came to be the national standard around 1930 as a means to protect adopted persons from the shame and stigma of being born illegitimate.
The original system never called for adopted persons to be denied accessibility to their own original birth certificate. In fact, in a 1931 edition of the American Journal of Public Health where the protocol for creating the system was proposed to a national audience of vital records administrators—and subsequently implemented by every state— it clearly outlines a best practice that the adoptee should have access to their own sealed file which included the original birth certificate.
Where did we go wrong?
After the dual birth certificate system was implemented across the nation, the institution of private adoption sought to expand its influence through information control. Starting in 1935, it began advocating for the complete sealing of original birth certificates from all parties involved.
With the exception of Alaska and Kansas who never fell to its influence, the push for legalized secrecy from the institution spread across the nation. Under this new reality, adopted individuals were denied rights to their original birth certificates, regardless of age or circumstance.
As the impacts of secrecy became evident through lived experiences, a reform movement emerged in the 1970's. Oregon took the lead in restoring adoptees' access to original birth certificates in 1998. Since then, thirteen additional states have followed suit, restoring full rights back to adult adopted individuals to access their original birth certificates. We hope to see a day when all states have realigned their laws with the human rights of adult adopted persons and not outdated institutional convenience.
"I would like to apologize to all adoptees . . . for having a policy in place like this that made you feel less than for so many years."
-Asm. Mathylde Frontus (D-46) on June 20, 2019 when NY State Assembly passed the bill that restored rights to all NY-born adoptees