Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people

Florida

The (Ongoing) Truth About Florida

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This time, I will jump in a frozen Minnesota lake and donate $500 to charity if I am wrong.

A Brief History of Florida Adoptee Rights

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The updated report covers the beginning of Florida adoption law in 1885 and provides a more than 100-year timeline of adoptee rights in the state.

When the Biggest Opposition is a Pandemic

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Remaining genuine equal rights bills are trying to get attention while a pandemic closes down capitols. Here’s a legislative update.

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.

Florida Bill: Reunion Required to Get Your OBC

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Florida HB597 requires reunion with a birthparent before an adult adoptee can even apply for the OBC. That’s not at all a “small step” forward.

Open Letter to Florida Representative Richard Stark

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I ask that you support this proposed legislation and that you decline to introduce legislation that fails to provide adult adoptees with the unrestricted right to obtain their own OBCs.

Legislative Update: Florida, New York and All Others

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The latest in adoptee rights legislation, with sessions just getting started, in full swing, or even close to adjournment. New York and Florida are the big ones but others hang on to the promise of clean.

The Truth About Florida

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The truth about Florida is this: no OBC access bill will get through the Florida legislature this session without legislators adding crippling and discriminatory restrictions. Ask questions. But insist on true answers.

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.