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Bastards in the Room

First published on June 5, 2017 • Last updated on March 2, 2019

It is through the emptiness of an answer that we sometimes obtain the truth.

And Then There Were Four

First published on May 24, 2017 • Last updated on May 28, 2019

With legislative sessions winding down, four states are still active with OBC access bills. Three bills are clean. One, in North Carolina, is simply bizarre.

What’s the Adoption Institute Up To?

First published on May 23, 2017 • Last updated on May 23, 2017

With its newly announced OBC2020 “organized advocacy campaign,” why won’t the Donaldson Adoption Institute commit to unrestricted OBC access for all adult adoptees, unequivocally and without compromise?

The Nutso World of New York Adoptee Rights

First published on May 12, 2017 • Last updated on May 12, 2017

Not only does New York purport to seal adoption records and OBCs forever, but it also relies upon an archaic, punitive, and expensive court process to access anything remotely identifying.

OBC Access Bills: Update

First published on May 1, 2017 • Last updated on May 28, 2019

A list of OBC access bills that are still alive in the 2017 session, plus bills that may have come and gone and are now either dead or barely hanging on.

The Long and Costly Tail of Compromise

First published on April 20, 2017 • Last updated on May 23, 2022

Forty years ago, Minnesota enacted the nation’s first compromised system of access to original birth certificates. The damage continues today.

The High Price of Nope

First published on April 6, 2017 • Last updated on January 3, 2022

The security and legal structures surrounding access to original birth certificates are immense, complex, confusing, and humiliating, specifically for adult adoptees who are forced to maneuver through such systems.

The OBC Tracker Project

First published on March 27, 2017 • Last updated on January 3, 2022

I’m initiating a project today to collect stories and facts about the adoptee experience in getting what’s rightfully theirs. Including stories of people who don’t want to request anything.

I am NOT an Adoption Attorney

First published on March 26, 2017 • Last updated on February 23, 2024

An adoptee-rights lawyer works for one thing: securing civil and legal rights for adult adoptees.

Interactive Map of OBC Access

First published on March 25, 2017 • Last updated on May 30, 2017

As part of a 50-state review, I created a map to illustrate where access to an original birth certificate is unrestricted, conditionally restricted, or completely restricted.

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.

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