There is also little talk in the online communities about wether or not the parents who surrendered their child to adoption should have access to their( the adoptees ) records, i'm curious what the community here believes. Do you feel that natural parents who have lost a child to adoption should be able to access the adoptees sealed, and amended birth certificates regardless of the age of the adoptee?
?
Favorite Answer
I absolutely and unequivocally support the right of the natural mother to the full and equal access to the amended birth certificate. It is unconscionable that a woman be held to an agreement made under extreme stress and without the benefit of unbiased legal representation. Women who were forced to surrender their infants should have the same access to identifying information enjoyed by the people who benefited from those losses and have often had much of the identifying information on hand to control at their whim. Equal justice under the law pertains to the arena of adoption as well as other areas.
Most women who surrendered their infants during the EMS/BSE walked away with nothing, not a slip of paper, a copy of the agreement or a picture, nothing, to testify to the events that scarred their psyches forever. Even murderers, rapists and pedophiles get a fair hearing and parole reviews. Women who surrender are forever consigned to a living death. It is inhumane and a violation of human and civil rights.
Sandra L. Young
Senior Mother
SMAAC
ETA: I am sorry that credit issues are a problem. I don't really think tho that bad credit should trump human and civil rights. Sure it is a hassle, but that is what you agree to when you take on another's child. I cannot agree that credit issues are that common and there are other ways to handle those problems. Sorry if you don't agree. Some people have ex spouses that are less than ideal. Life happens. People change. Obviously I am not speaking of actual physical danger.
Jennifer L
I'm still mulling this one over. I haven't thought much about it before, to be honest.
My first reaction, is No. Not when the adoptee is still a minor. The records belong to the adoptee, with access by the legal parents (which would be the adoptive parents). I don't think it's any different than any other kind of privacy. I don't think that the natural family should automatically have access to the minor adoptee's medical records, school records, etc.
I do think the threat of identity theft is valid, but that's not the most compelling reason.
When the adoptee becomes an adult, then he/she can allow whomever he/she wants to have access to those records.
If there is a question of coersion, however, I think the natural parents should have a legal route available, in order to access the records. Such as, being able to file a petition in a court of law.
ETA: Mamakate, read up on identity theft. You'd be surprised what someone can do with a birth certificate.
Kazi
I think it depends on the situation.
If we are talking about adult adoptees then they can decide for themselves if their first families can have access to their birth certificates.
If we are talking about minors, again, I don't believe there is a clear yes or no answer. If we are talking about an open adoption where all the parents agree to a relationship with one another and each set agrees to that, then I don't see a problem as the first parents would already know the child's name as well as the adoptive parents.
However, like other posters, I would not support this if the adoption was through foster care where the parents rights were terminated due to abuse (of any kind). In my situation, my son was abused by his first parents and even 2 years later, they are still threatening CAS with "getting him back." I'm very concerned about giving them any clue as to who we are and our whereabouts.
As for identity theft. I have heard that it sadly does happen, though I'm not clear how. I hope it's a very small percentage of the population and I believe these mothers that are that morally corrupt, probably would have messed up their kid's credit even if their child hadn't been adopted.
Anonymous
I have a copy of my son's amended birth certificate, and I am his natural mother. The file date was stamped on the ABC, as being the same date as the date his OBC was filed. This was only 6 days after he was born. At that time, I had not surrendered him and was still fighting to keep him. I did not surrender him until he was 2 weeks old. His adoptive parents got him when he was a little over a month old. The "medical" information on the ABC was correct. It listed my ob/gyn, the hospital, date and time of birth, birth weight. There was an additional section, which had been removed from the copy of the ABC which I have, but I remember that it was there when I signed the OBC. This section had additional medical details such as 'forceps delivery." California law only allows the "mother, father, and the child" to have that additional medical information. So, my son's adoptive mother can get personal medical details about me on her copy of the ABC. I can't get those details, and they are actually a part of my medical record. I was able to get the ABC after I found out my son's new adoptive name. I cannot get the OBC.....which I signed, and which has the correct information on it. As for the syph test...my mother was tested for that when I was born in the 40s and I think all mothers were. There is a record of that on my birth certificate, from NY. Until the 1970s, couples had to be tested for syph when they applied for a marriage license also.
BPD Wife
I'm going to catch grief from people for posting this, but I can only base my decision on my son's situation. I do not, nor would I ever, support full access to adoptee's records by the natural/original/first family. My reason for this is that if it is a "generalized" rule where any original/natural/first family member had access to those records, there will be times where the adoptee can or will be put in danger.
My son was in a situation of neglect and abuse prior to and immediately following birth. Although he never came home from the hospital with his first set of parents, that did not stop them from filing for a social security number for him. We have been told by other members of the original family that their purpose was to "sell" the number to others for the purpose of ID Fraud. Because of this, we had to fight to obtain a new social security number to prevent him from having credit issues down the road.
I understand that thankfully, not all adoption situations are like this, and I am sure there are more original parents who will do right by the adoptee than there are original parents who would abuse the system. However, since "some" people will take advantage of the adoptee, I cannot fully support full access.
Just my 2 cents.