Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people

Minnesota

Community Engagement Sessions for Minnesota’s New Law

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The Minnesota Department of Human Services will hold a series of community engagement events in relation to the state’s new adult adoptee birth record law.

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.

Can You Crowdsource Equal Rights Legislation?

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Help draft a clean Minnesota bill that provides an unrestricted right for all adult adoptees to obtain their own original birth records upon request.

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 Long and Costly Tail of Compromise

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

Minnesota

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Adoptee rights and Minnesota law, with a focus on original birth certificates, court records, descendants, and adult adoption.

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.