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Adoptee Rights Lawyer Gregory Luce

Press Inquiries

Gregory D. Luce • Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC
greg@adopteerightslaw.com • About

Frequently Requested Resources: Maps • Legislation
FAQ: Original Birth Records • FAQ: Adoptee Citizenship

    Press • Presentations • Interviews • Articles

    Selected Press

    Press mentions on issues that impact adopted people.

    An adoptee himself, Luce specializes in this area. After he and A connected in 2019, Luce spent the next two years going back and forth with various government agencies to determine if A was a citizen. The drawn-out wait was typical, he said. The truth was nothing short of gut-wrenching.

    National Public Radio

    She grew up believing she was a U.S. citizen. Then she applied for a passport

    “‘It’s been crazy,’ said Greg Luce, the Minneapolis-based founder of the Adoption Rights Law Center. ‘Minnesota is my state. I live and vote in this state and advocate in it — to say that it can be done, that you can undo an incredibly complex law like Minnesota’s, it’s incredibly fulfilling to see that.'”

    The Imprint

    Minnesota Joins Growing Number of States Allowing Adoptees New Access to Birth Records

    Although baby boxes are growing in popularity, some experts have raised concerns about them. Gregory Luce, an attorney who founded the Adoptee Rights Law Center, has vocally opposed baby boxes. Luce argues that states often pass baby box amendments without investing in mental health services for women in crisis, or in prenatal or postnatal services.

    Bangor Daily News

    Madawaska to consider baby box proposal for abandoned infants

    “Greg Luce is a Minnesota-based attorney who founded the Adoptee Rights Law Center and fights to unseal birth records across the United States. If the birth mother’s right to privacy was the main argument for keeping the records private, Luce said, proponents argued that DNA tests largely erased that privacy.”

    Minnesota Star Tribune

    After 85 years, adopted Minnesotans regain access to their birth records

    “Many adoptees are critical of baby boxes, too. The boxes market themselves on anonymity; billboards reading, ‘Surrendering your newborn at a fire station delivers . . . No Shame No Blame No Names’ lead mothers in crisis to the organization’s hotline. But that anonymity means adoptees won’t have a record of their birth families or medical histories, says Gregory Luce, founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center.”

    Mother Jones

    Inside the Conservative Movement to Promote Adoption

    “‘This creates an avenue of off-the-record surrenders, a problematic issue that could obviously lead to corruption,’ said Luce, the attorney with Adoptee Rights Law Center.”

    Stateline Logo

    Stateline

    More places install drop-off boxes for surrendered babies. Critics say they’re a gimmick

    This website is run by Gregory D. Luce, a lawyer and adoptee, who draws on contributors and sources from across the country. Luce has a definite point of view in favor of equal access to birth records—and has also made his site a reliable clearinghouse for the status of the relevant laws in every state.

    The Atlantic

    No One’s Children: America’s long history of secret adoption

    Historically, adoption laws have favored adoptive parents, who could return a disabled child, or in some states, a child of the “wrong race.” But that has begun to change, says attorney Gregory Luce, founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center. One emerging trend are measures that allow adult adoptees to legally vacate their adoptions.

    Rhode Island Monthly

    Family Ties: Inside Rhode Island’s Evolving Adoption Policies

    “I think people are finally recognizing the human right to know who you are, and where you came from. And making adoption secret in this way, making birth secret in this way, is just an anachronism. It’s a human rights issue. It’s found its day, it’s found its advocates, and it is currently now a real movement.”

    Minnesota Public Radio

    People who were adopted, birth parents react to change in Minnesota birth records policy

    “Democrats, or generally those who supported the right to an abortion, have been hoodwinked,” said Luce about liberal politicians’ failure over the last quarter-century to recognize the danger of the safe haven movement. “And it’s come back to really bite them hard, now that we’re seeing the expansion of these baby boxes and safe haven laws.”

    Logo of the online version of the New Republic

    The New Republic

    The Right’s New Post-Dobbs Panacea: The Baby Safe Deposit Box

    “This is a bill that has been bouncing around Congress now for about 10 years, and it’s fixing a massive loophole in current law that did not provide U.S. citizenship automatically to older adoptees; those who were essentially born prior to 1983.”

    Texas Standard: The National Daily News Show of Texas

    Adoptee advocates fight for intercountry adoptees to gain US citizenship

    “Insight is also joined by Gregory Luce, an adoptee, attorney, and founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center, one of the organizations in opposition to AB 1302.”

    CapRadio: Insight with Vicki Gonzalez

    Bill Addresses Adoptee’s Right to Original Birth Certificate

    Tens of thousands of children were adopted from other countries by parents in the U.S., only to discover as adults a quirk in federal law that meant they had never been guaranteed American citizenship. Much like the Dreamers, these adoptees are now fighting for legal status to ensure they can stay with the only homes and families they’ve ever known.

    National Public Radio: Code Switch

    Waiting in No Man’s Land (June 29, 2022 episode)

    “The idea that your birth is secret and cannot be known is something that many adoptees internalize,” Luce said. “They feel that they should be ashamed about their birth.”

    Logo of Houston Public Media. Houston Public Media is in red above logos of PBS (Public Broadcasting System) and NPR (National Public Radio)

    Houston Public Media

    Texas adoptees lose access to their original birth records. Getting them back is a challenge

    “Adoptee Rights Law Center founder Gregory Luce said people often forget that the original birth certificate ‘is not the birth parents’ birth certificate, it’s the adoptees’ birth certificate.'”

    WBUR • State House News Service

    [Massachusetts] House passes bill opening access to adoptee birth certificates

    “Gregory Luce is an immigration lawyer and also an adoptee. He helps adoptees without citizenship obtain legal status. He says this problem started because of neglect from the U.S. government. It only cared about getting the children into the arms of American parents, not what happens to them as an adult.”

    National Public Radio: “All Things Considered”

    With ‘Blue Bayou,’ Filmmaker Justin Chon Asks: Who Decides Who Is American?

    “Gregory Luce, a lawyer who tracks adoption laws, reports that only nine states allow adoptees unrestricted access to birth records. Indiana is among those that have begun to allow it under certain conditions, while 19 states and the District of Columbia still permit nothing without a court order.”

    New York Times

    For 50 Years, I Was Denied the Story of My Birth

    “‘Michigan has such a confusing and complex system that only lawyers or those invested in such a complicated bureaucratic framework could fully comprehend it,’ observes Greg Luce, a nationally recognized adoptee rights attorney.”

    Detroit Free Press

    Thanks to Michigan adoption law, my sister will die never knowing her past

    “Gregory Luce, a Minneapolis lawyer, is pulling together a national network of attorneys to help adoptees know their rights. For Luce, it’s personal. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1965 and adopted at a week old, he and his birth mother found each other years ago through an online voluntary registry, and he knows the identity of his birth father . . . .”

    StarTribune

    Minnesota law thwarts adoptees’ quest to know their roots

    “‘At the heart of the issue is a complicated and secretive system set up for adoption records,’ said Greg Luce, attorney and founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center in Minnesota.”

    Minnesota Public Radio

    Her Native American identity was omitted from her adoption records. Now she wants it back

    “Gregory Luce, Libberton’s immigration attorney, has helped multiple people in this situation and said differences in the law mean that some adoptees automatically become U.S. citizens, depending on their age and which visa they entered on. But those who do not get automatic citizenship must go through the naturalization process; Luce noted that the fee, which is $725 and does not include paying an attorney, can be prohibitive.”

    Chicago Tribune

    Michael Libberton . . . found out only five years ago he isn’t a citizen

    “Indeed, many birth mothers report they didn’t choose and weren’t legally guaranteed lifelong ‘anonymity’ from surrendered sons and daughters, says Gregory Luce, a lawyer and founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center, based in Minneapolis.”

    Mother Jones

    Most American Adoptees Can’t Access Their Birth Certificates. That Could Soon Change

    “‘Adopted adults are discovering they are not citizens after thinking they were Americans all their lives,’ said Gregory Luce, an immigration and adoptee rights lawyer in Minneapolis.”

    New York Times

    A Woman Without a Country: Adopted at Birth and Deportable at 30

    “‘An OBC is an essential vital record that everyone has access to except adoptees,’ said Greg Luce, founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center.”

    The Imprint: Youth and Family News

    Adoptees Gaining Ground in the Fight to Open Birth Records

    “‘It’s hard to underestimate what this bill signals and what . . . (it) will mean for equal rights legislation in other parts of the country,’ said Gregory D. Luce, an attorney and founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center. ‘New York got it right. It has made it equal for adopted people and it has now set the bar for other states to follow.'”

    Capital Gazette

    Maryland’s birth certificate policy discriminates against adoptees. It’s time for a change.

    “And as far as privacy goes, Gregory Luce, an attorney and founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center in Minneapolis, argues that getting direct access to a birth certificate is often more private than an internet search, which may turn up distant relatives.”

    Pew Charitable Trusts: Stateline

    Adoptees Press States for Access to Original Birth Certificates

    “‘At its core, what this new law does is discriminate against adoptees,’ said Luce, founder of Adoptee Rights Law, a Minnesota-based law firm that provides legal advocacy and representation for adult adoptees.”

    South Bend Tribune

    Finding answers: New Indiana law unseals records for adoptees

    Selected Presentations

    Keynote Address: Human or Alien? The Long, Difficult, and Troubling History of Intercountry Adoptees and US Citizenship

    Logo of the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York

    Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York (AFFCNY)

    Annual Conference, May 9, 2025, Hyde Park, New York

    What’s Wrong with “Un-Belonging?”: The Legal Right to Rescind your Own Adoption

    The Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture – 2024 Conference

    May 6, 2024, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

    Helping Minnesota Adopted Persons Prepare to Receive Original Birth Certificate Information

    88th Annual Minnesota Psychological Association Conference

    May 5, 2024, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    The Red Thread: Unraveling the Complexities of Intercountry Adoption, Citizenship, and Community Connection

    2023 OCA National Conference

    July 14, 2023, District of Columbia (In Person Conference)

    Adoption’s Unfinished Business: A Roundtable Discussion with Mary Cardaras, Gabrielle Glaser, Gregory Luce, and Gonda Van Steen

    The Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture • Eighth Biennial Conference

    October 22, 2021 (Virtual Conference)

    “Personal Truth, Collective Fiction, and the United States of Secrecy,” part of Discussing Adoption: Driving Positive Outcomes in the Search for Knowledge, Past and Present

    American Ancestors • New England Historic Genealogy Society

    Online Conversation Course • Q&A on November 15, 2021

    United States Congressional Staff Briefing: Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021, hosted by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

    Seal of the United States Congress. Round insignia with gold border, internal royal blue circle with the words in white United States Congress and an American Eagle icon in the middle with gold stars above.

    United States Congress | Staff Briefing

    Panel Discussion and Overview • October 12, 2021

    “Adoptee Deportee: How Transnational Adoption Became an ‘Immigration Problem.'”

    Immigration History Research Center | University of Minnesota,

    Panel Discussion • March 18, 2021

    Selected Interviews and Podcasts

    In addition to the interviews listed below, I am also the producer and host of the Adoptees United podcast What Next: The Adoptee Rights Podcast, available wherever you listen or download your podcasts.

    A coalition of Michigan adoptees and lawmakers are pushing for new state laws that would simplify the state’s adoption records system. On this episode of the Stateside podcast we spoke with three advocates about their adoption stories and why they want Michigan’s laws to change.

    Stateside Podcast

    Why advocates want Michigan’s adoption laws to change

    Gregory D. Luce is a Minnesota-based attorney born and adopted in the District of Columbia. He is the founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center and the executive director of Adoptees United Inc.

    Adoption: The Making of Me

    S5, Ep. 5: Gregory: An Adoptee Gives Back

    This is one reason why the Adoptee Rights Law Center and the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition has designated for an annual big push to make changes on those fronts, known as the Adoptee Rights National Week of Action.

    The Texas Standard

    Adoptee advocates fight for intercountry adoptees to gain US citizenship

    Greg helps adopted people navigate legal challenges in obtaining their own original birth certificates, securing  U.S. citizenship, and seeking information to which they are entitled.

    Pulled By The Root – Amplifying Adoption Issues

    Podcast Episode 35: Greg Luce

    Greg shares his story and brings clarity into the murky, secretive world of adoptees’ rights. Fascinating insights to help adoptees understand their identity.

    Thriving Adoptees: Inspiration for Adoptive Parents & Adoptees

    Understanding Adoptees’ Rights With Greg Luce, Adoptee & Adoptee Rights Lawyer

    “I am excited to introduce you to Gregory Luce today, the attorney behind Adoptee Rights Law. We get to hear some of Greg’s personal story today, including the five-year court battle it took for him to receive his records.”

    AdopteesOn

    Podcast Episode 182

    Articles

    “In this symposium, we gather contributors that reflect not only an array of scholarly disciplines, but a range of lived experiences related to adoption, including adopted people, birth/first parents, and adoptive parents.” — Symposium, Petrie-Flom Center, Harvard Law School

    Adoption, Family Separation & Preservation, and Reproductive Justice

    Adoptee Rights and Adoption Annulment

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    Adoptee Rights Law Center

    The Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC is an adoptee-driven law firm founded by Gregory Luce, a Minnesota lawyer who was also born and adopted in the District of Columbia.

    Contact Me

    Legal representation limited to issues involving Minnesota law and federal immigration law.

    Latest Posts

    • USCIS Is Withholding My Clients’ Immigration Records at an Alarming Rate
    • Name Changes and an N-565
    • Q&A: US Citizenship and Immigration Issues for Intercountry Adoptees
    • Thank You! Funds Raised for a Filing Fee for Intercountry Adoptee
    • It’s My Birthday. Let’s Celebrate.

    Contact Info

    Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC
    Minneapolis Minnesota 55419
    T: (612) 221-3947
    E: info@adopteerightslaw.com

    Legal representation limited to issues involving Minnesota law and federal immigration law.

    The OBC: Maps

    Alabama. Adult adoptees have the unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, beginning at age 19. Read more.
    Alaska. Adult adoptees have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their original birth certificates, beginning at age 18. Read More.
    Arizona. Arizona implemented a "donut hole" provision in a new law, which became effective on January 1, 2022. It allows only some adoptees to request the OBC--- based on their date of birth---but denies the right to obtain the OBC to the vast majority of Arizona-born adopted people. Read more.
    Arkansas.While Arkansas law allows adult adoptees to request their adoption files, the request is subject to a birthparent's ability to redact their names on the original birth certificates. A FAQ with information about the law and its requirements and discriminatory limitations is here.
    California. Adult adoptees do not have a right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, except by court order. Adoptees must petition the court and show “good and compelling cause” in order to obtain a copy of their own original birth record. Read more.
    Colorado. Colorado-born adult adopted people have a right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. An adopted person who is at least 18 years of age may apply for and receive a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate through the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Read more.
    Connecticut. Connecticut-born adult adopted people have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The right also extends to the adult children and grandchildren of the adopted person. Read more.
    Delaware. While Delaware-born adopted people who are at least 21 years of age may request a copy of their OBCs, birthparents may legally veto their release, otherwise known as a "disclosure veto." Read more.
    District of Columbia. District of Columbia courts control all aspects of releasing an OBC or any identifying information, whether from court records or from vital records. A court order is required and, depending on the date of adoption, may involve federal court or the D.C. Superior Court. Read more.
    Florida. While Florida-born adult adopted people may apply for a copy of the original birth record, it takes signed affidavits of consent from birthparents---or death certificates showing that birthparents are deceased---to compel release of the OBC. Otherwise, release is allowed only by court order. Read More.
    Georgia. Georgia-born adult adopted people must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their original birth certificates. Read more.
    Hawaii. Adopted people born born in Hawaii do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. People adopted in Hawaii may request and obtain their court adoption records, which may include an original birth certificate. The law does not apply to people born in Hawaii but adopted in a different state. Read more.
    Idaho. An OBC is available only by court order or conditionally through a state-operated “voluntary adoption registry.” Disclosure of an original birth certificate through the registry is subject to consent of the parties and may require the consent of both birth parents. Additional rights through the registry are available to people adopted on or after July 1, 2022, but those adoptees must also be at least 18 years of age. Read more.
    Illinois. The state has implemented a complex tiered date-based system to request and obtain a birth record, using the adoption registry to facilitate release of OBCs and other information. The date of birth of an Illinois-born adopted person determines who has a right to an OBC or who may be subject to a birthparent’s request to redact identifying information on the OBC. Read more.
    Indiana. The state has a complex and discriminatory framework that may allow release of specifically defined "identifying information," but a birthparent may prohibit release of that information at any time, even after the parent's death. Read more.
    Iowa. While Iowa-born adopted peoole who are at least 18 years of age may apply for a copy of their own original birth certificates, release of the record is subject birthparent redaction requests. Read More.
    Kansas. While original birth certificates may be sealed after an adoption, Kansas-born adult adoptees who are at least 18 years of age have always had an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Kentucky. A court order is required for an Kentucky-born adult adopted person to secure a copy of their own original birth certificate. Read more.
    Louisiana. All Louisiana-born adopted people, at age 24, have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Maine. Adult adoptees have the unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. Maine-born adopted people must be at least 18 years of age before requesting the OBC. Read more.
    Maryland. For all practical purposes, Maryland should be defined as a "restricted" state: there are so few current Maryland-born adult adopted  people who may qualify under its law, which gives preference to adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2000. Because the adopted person must also be at least 21 years of age to request the OBC under the date-based qualification, the law effectively applies only to those adopted people who are recently turning 21 (or were older at the time of their adoption). In addition, birthparents under current law may at any time veto disclosure of birth records or identifying information. Maryland-born adopted people whose adoptions were finalized before January 1, 2000, must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their own original birth records. Read more.
    Massachusetts. The Bay State in 2022 became the 12th state in the U.S. to affirm or restore the right of all Massachusetts-born adult adopted people to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Michigan. Michigan requires the use of a “Central Adoption Registry” to process information and to determine whether an adoptee should or should not get “identifying information,” which does not initially include an original birth certificate. Depending on the date of terminatuion of a birthparent's parent rights, a birthparent may deny access to identifying information or withhold access by saying nothing. In most cases (those in the donut hole years) no identifying information---or the OBC---may be released to the adoptee, except by court order or if the birthparent is deceased. Read more.
    Minnesota. All Minnesota-born adult adopted people have a right obtain a copy of their own original birth records. This also applies to the spouse, children, and grandchildren of the adopted person if the person is deceased. Read more.
    Mississippi. Mississippi-born adult adopted people do not have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. It takes a court order to obtain the record. Read more.
    Missouri. The state has a complex framework that makes the original birth certificate subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes, some of which may extend beyond the death of the parent. Read more.
    Montana. Montana maintains a somewhat complex tiered system that uses an adoptee’s date of adoption as the determinant of whether an adopted person may obtain their own original birth certificate. While an original birth certificate may be available more easily to adoptees who are at least 30 years of age, court orders may be required for younger adoptees. In all cases, if a birthparent requests that a court order be required, the OBC will not be released without a court order. Read more.
    Nebraska. Nebraska law is incredibly complex and confusing. Generally, any right of a Nebraska-born adult adopted person to obtain a copy of their own OBC depends on the date of an adoptee’s relinquishment and also whether a birth parent—and in some cases an adoptive parent—has affirmatively consented to disclosure or has filed a “nonconsent” form objecting to the OBC’s release. Read more.
    Nevada. Nevada-born adult adopted people must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their own original birth certificate. Read more.
    New Hampshire. Adoptees who are at least 18 years of age have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The state also allows birth parents to file a contact preference form and/or health history questionnaire, neither of which will restrict the right of adult adoptees to obtain their OBCs. Read more.
    New Jersey is best described as a "limited time redaction" state, as the law in 2016 provided birthparents a limited amount of time to request redaction of their information from the adoptee's original birth certificate. Thus, while most New Jersey-born adult adopted people now have a right to obtain their own original birth certificates, approximately 560 birthparents filed redaction requests, leading to redaction of the parents’ identifying information on the OBC. Those 560 adoptees have no right to obtain an unredacted original birth certificate except through a court order. Read more.
    New Mexico. A New Mexico-born adult adopted person must demonstrate good cause to convince a court to release a copy of the adoptee's own original birth certificate. Read more.
    New York. Since 2020, adult adopted persons and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a certified copy of the adopted person's own original birth certificate. Read more.
    North Carolina. A court order is required for the release of any identifying information, including an OBC. A North Carolina-born adult adopted person must specifically request the OBC in a court action that seeks the release of identifying information. Read more.
    North Dakota. Adult adopted people who were born in North Dakota do not have a right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. It takes a court order to release it. Read more.
    Ohio. Not all Ohip-born adult adopted people are treated equally. While legislative reforms in the last decade removed a number of discriminatory provisions, significant restrictions remain, including birthparent redaction and disclosure vetoes. Read more.
    Oklahoma. Currently, nearly all Oklahoma-born adult adopted must obtain a court order and show good cause for release of the OBC. While Oklahoma-born adopted people whose adoptions were finalized after November 1, 1997, do not require a court order, requests for such OBCs are subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes and redaction. Read more.
    Oregon. Oregon-born adopted people who are at least 21 years of age have an unrestricted right to obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Oregon law also allows adoptees at age 18 to obtain specific records in the court adoption proceedings. Read more.
    Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania-born adopted people who are at least 18 years of age—and who must be high school graduates, possess a GED, or are legally withdrawn from school— may request "summary information" from their original birth record (but not a copy of the original record itself). Birthparents, however may redact identifying information on the OBC by filing a “name redaction request.” Redaction requests may be filed or withdrawn at any time and do not extend beyond a filing parent’s death. Read more.
    Rhode Island. Adult adopted people and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain the adopted person's own original birth certificate at age 18. Read more.
    South Carolina. South Carolina-born adult adopted people must either obtain a court order or birthparent permission to obtain an unredacted original birth record. Read more.
    South Dakota. South Dakota-born adult adopted people have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificate directly from the state's vital records department or from the local register of deeds. In July 2023, South Dakota became the fourteenth state to affirm or restore such a right. Read more.
    Tennessee. Nearly all adoptees who are 21 years of age have a right to request and obtain their their own “adoption records,” which typically include original birth certificates. The only exception to this right is for an adult adoptee whose birth parent was a victim of rape or incest—in such cases the written consent of the birth parent is required for release of records. Read more.
    Texas. Release of the OBC to a Texas-born adult adopted person requires a court order, with one significant exception: adoptees who are at least 18 years of age and who know the names of their birthparents listed on the record may obtain a non-certified copy of their own original birth certificate upon request. Read more.
    Utah. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. While adoptees 18 years of age or older may request their birth records, release depends on participating in a voluntary registry as well as obtaining the consent of birthparents, unless a birthparent is dead. Read more.
    Vermont. Vermont-born adult adopted people and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of the adopted person's own original birth certificate directly from the state's vital records department. In July 2023, Vermont became the thirteenth state to affirm or restore such a right. Read more.
    Virginia. Release of an OBC to a Virginia-born adult adopted person requires either a) a state agency’s decision, upon good cause shown, to release identifying information from the adoption records; or b) a court order upon good cause shown. Read more.
    Washington. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. An OBC is available through the Department of Health but release is subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes as well as to corrupt contact preference forms that allow birthparents to deny release of the OBC. Disclosure vetoes and contact preference forms expire on the death of the birth parent. Read more.
    West Virginia. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. A court order, requiring good cause, is required before the release of an OBC. Read more.

    Wisconsin. The original birth record is only available by court order or through successful completion of a complex and lengthy "adoption records search" process, which depends upon consent or death of the parties to release any records or information. For these reasons, it is considered a "Restricted State." Read more.

    Wyoming. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their original birth certificates. It takes a court order for release of an OBC, with no specific standards or procedures outlined in seeking such an order. Read more.
    US OBC Rights 2024 Placeholder
    US OBC Rights 2024
    Alabama. Adult adoptees have the unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, beginning at age 19. Read more.
    Alaska. Adult adoptees have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their original birth certificates, beginning at age 18. Read More.
    Arizona. Arizona implemented a "donut hole" provision in a new law, which became effective on January 1, 2022. It allows only some adoptees to request the OBC--- based on their date of birth---but denies the right to obtain the OBC to the vast majority of Arizona-born adopted people. Read more.
    Arkansas.While Arkansas law allows adult adoptees to request their adoption files, the request is subject to a birthparent's ability to redact their names on the original birth certificates. A FAQ with information about the law and its requirements and discriminatory limitations is here.
    California. Adult adoptees do not have a right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, except by court order. Adoptees must petition the court and show “good and compelling cause” in order to obtain a copy of their own original birth record. Read more.
    Colorado. Colorado-born adult adopted people have a right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. An adopted person who is at least 18 years of age may apply for and receive a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate through the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Read more.
    Connecticut. Connecticut-born adult adopted people have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The right also extends to the adult children and grandchildren of the adopted person. Read more.
    Delaware. While Delaware-born adopted people who are at least 21 years of age may request a copy of their OBCs, birthparents may legally veto their release, otherwise known as a "disclosure veto." Read more.
    District of Columbia. District of Columbia courts control all aspects of releasing an OBC or any identifying information, whether from court records or from vital records. A court order is required and, depending on the date of adoption, may involve federal court or the D.C. Superior Court. Read more.
    Florida. While Florida-born adult adopted people may apply for a copy of the original birth record, it takes signed affidavits of consent from birthparents---or death certificates showing that birthparents are deceased---to compel release of the OBC. Otherwise, release is allowed only by court order. Read More.
    Georgia. Georgia-born adult adopted people must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their original birth certificates. Read more.
    Hawaii. Adopted people born born in Hawaii do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. People adopted in Hawaii may request and obtain their court adoption records, which may include an original birth certificate. The law does not apply to people born in Hawaii but adopted in a different state. Read more.
    Idaho. An OBC is available only by court order or conditionally through a state-operated “voluntary adoption registry.” Disclosure of an original birth certificate through the registry is subject to consent of the parties and may require the consent of both birth parents. Additional rights through the registry are available to people adopted on or after July 1, 2022, but those adoptees must also be at least 18 years of age. Read more.
    Illinois. The state has implemented a complex tiered date-based system to request and obtain a birth record, using the adoption registry to facilitate release of OBCs and other information. The date of birth of an Illinois-born adopted person determines who has a right to an OBC or who may be subject to a birthparent’s request to redact identifying information on the OBC. Read more.
    Indiana. The state has a complex and discriminatory framework that may allow release of specifically defined "identifying information," but a birthparent may prohibit release of that information at any time, even after the parent's death. Read more.
    Iowa. While Iowa-born adopted peoole who are at least 18 years of age may apply for a copy of their own original birth certificates, release of the record is subject birthparent redaction requests. Read More.
    Kansas. While original birth certificates may be sealed after an adoption, Kansas-born adult adoptees who are at least 18 years of age have always had an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Kentucky. A court order is required for an Kentucky-born adult adopted person to secure a copy of their own original birth certificate. Read more.
    Louisiana. All Louisiana-born adopted people, at age 24, have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Maine. Adult adoptees have the unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. Maine-born adopted people must be at least 18 years of age before requesting the OBC. Read more.
    Maryland. For all practical purposes, Maryland should be defined as a "restricted" state: there are so few current Maryland-born adult adopted  people who may qualify under its law, which gives preference to adoptions finalized on or after January 1, 2000. Because the adopted person must also be at least 21 years of age to request the OBC under the date-based qualification, the law effectively applies only to those adopted people who are recently turning 21 (or were older at the time of their adoption). In addition, birthparents under current law may at any time veto disclosure of birth records or identifying information. Maryland-born adopted people whose adoptions were finalized before January 1, 2000, must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their own original birth records. Read more.
    Massachusetts. The Bay State in 2022 became the 12th state in the U.S. to affirm or restore the right of all Massachusetts-born adult adopted people to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Read more.
    Michigan. Michigan requires the use of a “Central Adoption Registry” to process information and to determine whether an adoptee should or should not get “identifying information,” which does not initially include an original birth certificate. Depending on the date of terminatuion of a birthparent's parent rights, a birthparent may deny access to identifying information or withhold access by saying nothing. In most cases (those in the donut hole years) no identifying information---or the OBC---may be released to the adoptee, except by court order or if the birthparent is deceased. Read more.
    Minnesota. All Minnesota-born adult adopted people have a right obtain a copy of their own original birth records. This also applies to the spouse, children, and grandchildren of the adopted person if the person is deceased. Read more.
    Mississippi. Mississippi-born adult adopted people do not have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. It takes a court order to obtain the record. Read more.
    Missouri. The state has a complex framework that makes the original birth certificate subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes, some of which may extend beyond the death of the parent. Read more.
    Montana. Montana maintains a somewhat complex tiered system that uses an adoptee’s date of adoption as the determinant of whether an adopted person may obtain their own original birth certificate. While an original birth certificate may be available more easily to adoptees who are at least 30 years of age, court orders may be required for younger adoptees. In all cases, if a birthparent requests that a court order be required, the OBC will not be released without a court order. Read more.
    Nebraska. Nebraska law is incredibly complex and confusing. Generally, any right of a Nebraska-born adult adopted person to obtain a copy of their own OBC depends on the date of an adoptee’s relinquishment and also whether a birth parent—and in some cases an adoptive parent—has affirmatively consented to disclosure or has filed a “nonconsent” form objecting to the OBC’s release. Read more.
    Nevada. Nevada-born adult adopted people must secure a court order to obtain a copy of their own original birth certificate. Read more.
    New Hampshire. Adoptees who are at least 18 years of age have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. The state also allows birth parents to file a contact preference form and/or health history questionnaire, neither of which will restrict the right of adult adoptees to obtain their OBCs. Read more.
    New Jersey is best described as a "limited time redaction" state, as the law in 2016 provided birthparents a limited amount of time to request redaction of their information from the adoptee's original birth certificate. Thus, while most New Jersey-born adult adopted people now have a right to obtain their own original birth certificates, approximately 560 birthparents filed redaction requests, leading to redaction of the parents’ identifying information on the OBC. Those 560 adoptees have no right to obtain an unredacted original birth certificate except through a court order. Read more.
    New Mexico. A New Mexico-born adult adopted person must demonstrate good cause to convince a court to release a copy of the adoptee's own original birth certificate. Read more.
    New York. Since 2020, adult adopted persons and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a certified copy of the adopted person's own original birth certificate. Read more.
    North Carolina. A court order is required for the release of any identifying information, including an OBC. A North Carolina-born adult adopted person must specifically request the OBC in a court action that seeks the release of identifying information. Read more.
    North Dakota. Adult adopted people who were born in North Dakota do not have a right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. It takes a court order to release it. Read more.
    Ohio. Not all Ohip-born adult adopted people are treated equally. While legislative reforms in the last decade removed a number of discriminatory provisions, significant restrictions remain, including birthparent redaction and disclosure vetoes. Read more.
    Oklahoma. Currently, nearly all Oklahoma-born adult adopted must obtain a court order and show good cause for release of the OBC. While Oklahoma-born adopted people whose adoptions were finalized after November 1, 1997, do not require a court order, requests for such OBCs are subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes and redaction. Read more.
    Oregon. Oregon-born adopted people who are at least 21 years of age have an unrestricted right to obtain a copy of their own original birth certificates. Oregon law also allows adoptees at age 18 to obtain specific records in the court adoption proceedings. Read more.
    Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania-born adopted people who are at least 18 years of age—and who must be high school graduates, possess a GED, or are legally withdrawn from school— may request "summary information" from their original birth record (but not a copy of the original record itself). Birthparents, however may redact identifying information on the OBC by filing a “name redaction request.” Redaction requests may be filed or withdrawn at any time and do not extend beyond a filing parent’s death. Read more.
    Rhode Island. Adult adopted people and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain the adopted person's own original birth certificate at age 18. Read more.
    South Carolina. South Carolina-born adult adopted people must either obtain a court order or birthparent permission to obtain an unredacted original birth record. Read more.
    South Dakota. South Dakota-born adult adopted people have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of their own original birth certificate directly from the state's vital records department or from the local register of deeds. In July 2023, South Dakota became the fourteenth state to affirm or restore such a right. Read more.
    Tennessee. Nearly all adoptees who are 21 years of age have a right to request and obtain their their own “adoption records,” which typically include original birth certificates. The only exception to this right is for an adult adoptee whose birth parent was a victim of rape or incest—in such cases the written consent of the birth parent is required for release of records. Read more.
    Texas. Release of the OBC to a Texas-born adult adopted person requires a court order, with one significant exception: adoptees who are at least 18 years of age and who know the names of their birthparents listed on the record may obtain a non-certified copy of their own original birth certificate upon request. Read more.
    Utah. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates. While adoptees 18 years of age or older may request their birth records, release depends on participating in a voluntary registry as well as obtaining the consent of birthparents, unless a birthparent is dead. Read more.
    Vermont. Vermont-born adult adopted people and their descendants have an unrestricted right to request and obtain a copy of the adopted person's own original birth certificate directly from the state's vital records department. In July 2023, Vermont became the thirteenth state to affirm or restore such a right. Read more.
    Virginia. Release of an OBC to a Virginia-born adult adopted person requires either a) a state agency’s decision, upon good cause shown, to release identifying information from the adoption records; or b) a court order upon good cause shown. Read more.
    Washington. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. An OBC is available through the Department of Health but release is subject to birth parent disclosure vetoes as well as to corrupt contact preference forms that allow birthparents to deny release of the OBC. Disclosure vetoes and contact preference forms expire on the death of the birth parent. Read more.
    West Virginia. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their own original birth certificates. A court order, requiring good cause, is required before the release of an OBC. Read more.

    Wisconsin. The original birth record is only available by court order or through successful completion of a complex and lengthy "adoption records search" process, which depends upon consent or death of the parties to release any records or information. For these reasons, it is considered a "Restricted State." Read more.

    Wyoming. Adult adoptees do not have an unrestricted right to obtain their original birth certificates. It takes a court order for release of an OBC, with no specific standards or procedures outlined in seeking such an order. Read more.

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    OBC: State Status & Numbers

    15 UNRESTRICTED
    19 COMPROMISED
    17 RESTRICTED
    51 VIEW ALL
    What do these mean? Some maps and an explanation.</>

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