Should Parents Be Allowed Access To Birth Certificates

Imagine being a kid who does not know who their parents are. They do not know their medical history or any of their heritages, and when they are finally old enough to figure all of that out, they can’t. Birth records are often sealed to provide anonymity to mothers, but it denies adopted children of a right every other child has. Many laws prevent adopted children from finding out who their biological parents are and from accessing their medical history, it is morally wrong to deprive adoptees of their heritage, and adoptees should be allowed access to their original birth certificates to know their family and medical history.

Most of the fifty states have laws that seal adoptee birth certificates and medical history. Not only do states seal

Children have less need for their histories than adults do. Some more lenient states have granted “some adult adoptees... access to their original birth certificates, [but] some don't” have this access (Hamliton, n.p.). It is all dependent on when they were born and whether or not the biological parents granted the release of their information. Adoptees, no matter how old they are, are not granted the same rights by the state that other citizens have. They argue that by denying adoptees of their records, they are protecting all parties involved. Everyone’s privacy remains intact, so there should be no problem. For a majority of states that have opted to open birth records and medical history, access is granted to the adoptees, but there might be some conditions attached. Most of the time “mothers who surrendered their children may file a "no contact" preference” (Dusky, n.p.), and this is achieved by redacting the name on the birth certificate. However, the decision of whether or not contact should be made between the biological parents and the adult adoptees should be left up to them. At eighteen, adoptees should be free to make their own choices regarding their records and their lineage. When the state interferes with private matters, everything becomes more complicated and difficult. State legislators should either pass laws to open birth records to adult adoptees, who should have the same rights as other adults, or they should just leave family affairs to the