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Last updated on May 30, 2017

Interactive Map of OBC Access

I’m close to announcing the finished Adoptee Rights Law website as well as the overall opening of the “Center.” I still need to move a few pieces into place, primarily on the homepage, but I also need to suss out a bit more detail about what I will actually be doing for clients and for adoptee-rights advocates.

One thing I have done in the last few weeks is review all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) to get a better idea about the state of OBC access in the US. The review, however, was not just for my benefit—I also wanted to provide a resource to lawyers and adoptees and anyone else who needs to find the law in their state fairly quickly and easily. While there are other resources out there, I found some of them out of date and also fairly hard to use and understand, especially for non-lawyers.

As part of my review process, I also created a Google map to illustrate OBC access laws and where access is unrestricted, conditionally restricted, or completely restricted (by court order). You can jump to that map here.

Access to OBC State Map

As with nearly everything I do on the site and with Adoptee Rights Law, I depend on feedback to make it better. If you notice something that is off or doesn’t quite jibe with your own experiences, let me know. The map will change over time to reflect any changes in the law, as well as improvements in design.

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Adoptee Data, State OBC Laws

Gregory D. Luce

I am a Minnesota lawyer, DC-born adoptee, and the founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC. I've been practicing law in Minnesota state and federal courts since 1993. I also have a sense of humor.

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Did I Miss Something?

I work hard to get the laws and facts straight in every state---and to keep them regularly updated. If you see something that's not quite right or doesn't fit your experience, let me know with either a quick comment or an email.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jana Carr says

    March 26, 2017 at 8:57 am

    What are your thoughts on biological and genetic restitution? [Link]

    Reply
    • Gregory D. Luce says

      March 26, 2017 at 9:59 am

      To be honest, I know very little about that issue or even about that term, unless I’m misunderstanding what is meant by “biological/genetic restitution.” Do you have a copy of the article you link to (it does not appear to be available)? I would be interested in reading more.

      Reply
  2. Rich Uhrlaub says

    March 26, 2017 at 9:21 am

    Double check AR, MT, and WA. They fit under your definition of conditional access.

    Reply
    • Gregory D. Luce says

      March 26, 2017 at 9:28 am

      Yep, we’ve got those wrong with the icons on the map but should have them correct on our summaries: Montana | Washington | Arkansas.

      Arkansas, however, just passed new legislation (in the last few weeks) that won’t go into effect until July 2018, at the earliest. Pretty sure we already have that info on the summary page for Arkansas but I’m not yet ready for some reason to list it as “Conditional.” Just too new I guess.

      Thanks for pointing these out! We’ve fixed the icons on the current map to reflect these states.

      Reply
  3. BT says

    March 26, 2017 at 2:18 pm

    Yes, I would like to know more about the meaning-extent of biological and genetic restitution?

    Reply
  4. Valerie says

    March 26, 2017 at 7:10 pm

    Can you explain what you mean by “corrupt” contact preference form?

    Reply
    • Gregory D. Luce says

      March 26, 2017 at 7:42 pm

      Sure. This is how we define it here: “A corrupt CPF is a contact preference form that in reality may be used to prohibit the release of an OBC or to redact identifying information on an OBC. It is not a true contact preference form.” What we mean is that, though the law indicates a birth parent may complete a “contact preference form,” the actual form may be used to prohibit disclosure or to redact information.

      A true contact preference form only lists the preference a parent may have for contact, typically whether it is direct contact, contact through an intermediary, or no contact. From our review, four states use corrupt contact preference forms, while six states use true contact preference forms.

      Reply

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Adoptee Rights Law Center

The Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC is an adoptee-focused legal practice founded by Gregory Luce, a Minnesota lawyer and D.C.-born adoptee.

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Legal representation limited to issues involving Minnesota law and federal immigration law.

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Gregory D. Luce
PO Box 19561
Minneapolis Minnesota 55419
T: (612) 221-3947
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Legal representation limited to issues involving Minnesota law and federal immigration law.

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