Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people

Essays

American Baby and the Punishing Secrecy of Adoption

First published on • Last updated on

American Baby weaves truth into the adoptions that predominated the second half of the twentieth century, a time of locked down records, secret transactions, and abusive experimentation.

What Happens When You Question Adoption

First published on • Last updated on

The politicization of the Barretts’ adoptions from Haiti—which they’ve clearly politicized themselves—highlights the rift between concept and reality in intercountry adoption.

The People I Represent

First published on • Last updated on

I’ve seen my share of strange and anonymous complaints about the work that I do on behalf of adult adopted people. Here’s what I do.

What I Mean When I Mean Clean

First published on • Last updated on

Clean should always be the default, while dirty is the defined term, the aberration.

What We Overlook

First published on • Last updated on

We is almost always exclusive, and it is defined by those who speak it. Who are “we” overlooking in adoptee rights?

The High Price of Nope

First published on • Last updated on

The security and legal structures surrounding access to original birth certificates are immense, complex, confusing, and humiliating, specifically for adult adoptees who are forced to maneuver through such systems.

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.