The Arizona legislature enacted a new law in 2021 that blasted a hole into the middle of adoptee rights in the state. Whether you call that hole a gap, a pie hole, or a donut hole (as I do), it creates two unequal classes of adopted people in the state.
Michigan
Michigan is a donut hole state. It divides access to original birth certificates by date of birth, with those born between 1945 and 1980 the big losers. Find out more about Michigan’s complicated and deeply flawed system.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts law denies adult adoptees who were born between 1974 and 2008 their own original birth certificates. Everyone else born in Massachusetts has unrestricted access to their original birth certificates.
Arizona
Arizona denies adult adoptees the right to obtain their own original birth certificates. Release of an OBC requires a court order.