Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people

Gregory D. Luce

The Kafkaesque Case of James Christian Werthmann

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I’m not the first person to conjure up Kafka as a way to describe James Werthmann’s case. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recognized the absurdity immediately.

What I Mean When I Mean Clean

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Clean should always be the default, while dirty is the defined term, the aberration.

Tell Iowa Reps: NO on SF621

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Contact members of the Iowa House of Representatives. Tell them to vote NO on SF621

Who Else Gets Your OBC?

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An Iowa bill has another problem: who actually gets the OBC? Everyone in the family, including the family dog? And which “family?”

Toeing the Bottom Line

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With pressure to amend a Texas bill to add discriminatory provisions, it’s unclear if STAR will now “wink” and let it happen.

Texas: Setting the Records Straight

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A new report on Texas laws related to original birth certificates, published by the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition.

Take Action: NO on HB597

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Take action today. Contact members of a Florida subcommittee to request a “NO” vote on HB597.

Is This the Year for Iowa? No.

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Clean bills have made it out of the first legislative “funnel”—a deadline in Iowa for bills to be voted out of committee.

What’s an Original Birth Certificate?

Most adopted persons know what an original birth certificate (OBC) is. Many non-adopted people do not. An original birth certificate is the initial birth certificate created shortly after a person's birth. For most people, it is their only birth certificate.

For persons born and adopted in the United States, a new or "amended" birth certificate replaces the OBC once the adoption is final. In addition to replacing the original, the names of the birth parents are also replaced with the names of the adoptive parents. Some states may also alter or omit additional information on a new certificate, including the adoptee's specific place of birth.

Depending on state law, an original birth certificate is sealed and remains unavailable to the adopted person, even when they become an adult. If you are not adopted, your original birth certificate is your only birth certificate---and it is always available to you upon request.