Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adoptees

Compromised Rights

Compromised means that a state has limited the rights of adult adoptees to obtain their own original birth certificates. Rights have been compromised in various ways, including birth parent disclosure vetoes, redaction of information, date-based restrictions, and involvement of mutual-consent registries.

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Minnesota

Minnesota law does not provide adult adoptees with unrestricted access to their original birth certificates. Access to OBCs in Minnesota is ridiculously complex and based primarily on the date of adoption and whether a birth parent objects to disclosure.

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Oklahoma

Currently, nearly all adult adoptees in Oklahoma must obtain a court order and show good cause for the release of an original birth certificate. An exception exists to this requirement for adoptions finalized after November 1, 1997.