MICHIGAN: Bill Would Extend Adoptee Rights, March 6, 2008

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DETROIT NEWS
March 6, 2008

Bill Would Extend Adoptee Rights
Kim Kozlowsky

A Michigan House committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow some adults adopted as children to get their original birth certificate.

"It's a great first step in getting adoptees the rights we've been entitled to all along," Daryl Royal, a moderator of the Internet mailing list michigansearching.com, said after the hearing of the Family and Children's Services Committee.

Michigan law currently allows birth certificate access to adoptees after they become adults. But those who were adopted between May 1945 and Sept 12, 1980, cannot get their original birth certificate, a situation that has left thousands of people without any clues to their family origin, genealogy or medical history.

Instead, they have a birth certificate that lists only their adopted parents.

The proposed bill also would give parents who gave their children up for adoption during those years the option of letting the state know if they're willing to be contacted. If they prefer no contact, they would be asked to fill out an updated health history.

At the hearing, several advocates lobbied lawmakers to pass the bill, pointing to states that have opened adoption records and saying they deserve to enjoy the rights that many Michigan residents take for granted.

"Closed-record adoptees have been swept under the rug for far too long," Center Line resident Dee Lindeman told the committee. "It is time to right this wrong and bring us some manner of parity with other adoptees across Michigan."

Opponents of the legislation include Bethany Christian Services, an adoption agency; Right to Life of Michigan; and the National Council for Adoption.

Though representatives from those organizations did not testify Wednesday, some lawmakers voiced concerns about disregarding a birth parent's wish not to be contacted.

"I don't want those people who don't want to be revealed to be revealed," said Rep. Fulton Sheen, R-Plainwell, who opposed the measure along with fellow Republican Reps. Brian Palmer of Romeo and Jack Hoogendyk of Texas Township.

Rep. Lisa Wojno, D-Warren, countered that Oregon passed a similar law 10 years ago and since then, 83 people have indicated they do not want to be contacted. Supporters also noted that research by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute showed that states with open adoption records have not seen an increase in abortions or decrease in adoptions.

An identical bill has been introduced in the Senate, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

You can reach Kim Kozlowski at or kkozlowski@detnews.com

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MASSACHUSETTS: Making It Easier for Adoptees to Find Birth Parents

METROWEST DAILY NEWS
February 14, 2008

Making it easier for adoptees to find birth parents

By Kathy Uek/Daily News staff

Some adopted children will have an easier time tracking down their birth parents under a new state law that took effect Jan. 1.

"There has been a lot of interest and a lot of individuals and advocates who fought hard and wanted to get this through," said Sen. Karen E. Spilka, D-Ashland, who co-sponsored the bill. "Some wanted full access but understood the constraints, so what we did was a nice balance."

Those constraints included protecting parents who were given a promise of privacy when they put their children up for adoption, said Rep. John Lepper, R-Attleboro, who filed the bill.

The measure is referred to as the "ABC Law" because the ABC Group (Access to Uncertified Original Birth Certificates) began the movement for change.

"ABC is made up of adoptees or people who have given children up for adoption who have been active in getting adoption records open because adoptees wanted to know their family background to say who they were," said Lepper. "Am I Italian, an Irishman, what's my background? That's a strong feeling among many adopted people."

The adoption community has been trying to pass a bill like this for about 20 years, said Janice G. Halpern, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, Inc.

The new law makes it possible to obtain birth records without a court order for adopted persons born before July 14, 1974, and after Jan. 1, 2008.

Before 1974, adoptees could find out the identity of their parents because they had access to their original birth certificates. In 1974, the Legislature changed the law making it necessary for adoptees to go to court. After 1974, birth certificates for adopted children were sealed.

"The gap in the years after 1974 protects those people who were given a promise of privacy when they put their children up for adoption," said Lepper, who added getting the measure passed took 10 years because of those privacy concerns.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the new law Sept. 6, 2007.

"Those born after 1974 still have to go to a judge to obtain their records or they can put their name on the Adoption Contact Information Registry," said Spilka. That registry allows birth parents and adoptees to track each other down.

Once funding has been provided, hopefully in the next budget, the registry will be set up, according to Spilka's office.

Rep. Stephen P. LeDuc, D-Marlborough, a co-sponsor of the bill, shepherded it through the House.

For more information, contact Sen. Spilka's office at , the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at , or visit www.mass.gov.

(Kathy Uek can be reached at or kuek@cnc.com.)

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MASSACHUSETTS: New Year Ushers in New Laws

This is a very long article and I have only included relevant information.

SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN
January 1, 2008

New year ushers in new laws

By DAN RING
dring@repub.com

BOSTON - With the start of the new year, Yolanda Ostolaza, of Springfield, is set to receive a pay raise.....



Other new laws include one that unseals adoption records for certain people, but keeps them closed for others.

According to the new law, adopted people who were born on or before July 17, 1974 may obtain their birth certificates and adoptive parents can get a birth certificate for a child born after Jan. 1, 2008.

Birth records for adopted people were sealed in Massachusetts on July 17, 1974.

The law excludes adopted people born between July 18, 1974 and yesterday , barring them from seeing their birth certificates. The law keeps intact for that 34-year period the privacy provisions of the 1974 law.

Vicki S. Peterson, executive director of Wide Horizons For Children, an adoption agency with an office in Pittsfield, said the law is an improvement but it's wrong to close records to people born during the 34-year gap.

These days, only a very small number of birth mothers or adoptive families want their privacy protected, she said. "I don't like that gap at all," Peterson said.

The new law does set up a voluntary registry to help connect adoptees born in that 34-year gap with their birth parents.


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