We ask the leadership of the Massachusetts Senate—as well as all Massachusetts state senators—to pass S.1440, a bill that is mercilessly short and closes a date-based loophole in current law.
What It Does. The bill eliminates a discriminatory provision that denies adult adopted people the right to request and obtain their own original birth certificates, a right that exists for all Massachusetts adopted people except for those who were born between July 17, 1974 and January 1, 2008. This period between 1974 and 2008 is considered the “donut hole” in current vital records law.
Status: The House bill (H.2294) passed unanimously on voice vote on November 4, 2021.
Support: The bill has the support of thousands of adoptees as well as dozens of state and national organizations related to adoptee rights and adoption reform. The bill has no known organized opposition.
Additional Information: Current Massachusetts Law • Call to Action to Pass S.1440 • United States of OBC (Maps)