How do we Restore Equal Access For Adoptees in California?
By beginning a healthy dialogue of understanding, education and compassion for all… so legislators feel compelled to restore adoptees original birth certificates without restrictions.
Celia Center is not a political organization, however we feel deeply for adoptees who have been “blindsided by adoption” in not knowing their genetic, medical, and birth history.
We are hoping to be a voice in California to be an influencer, to restore access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees.
We support the inherent right of adult adopted persons to access and obtain these records regardless of when their adoption occurred.
We thank Assembly Tom Lackey for bringing attention to Bill AB1302.
We understand this is a complicated issue, it is an emotional issue, and there is a range of opinions on the matter.
As such, Celia Center wants to help all parties find a common ground, educate our community about the issue respectfully, diffuse “angry emotions” about this bill so we can stay rational, be “effective and influential voices” with state legislators and stay respectful and compassionate towards everyone involved.
We want to be clear, Celia Center does not support Bill AB1302.
We support opening a dialogue with fellow adoptees, first-birth parents and adoptive parents to help legislatures understand why this matters to adoptees.
We want to be respectful and talk about the best ways we can have civil conversations together to restore access to birth certificates in an ethical, humane, and efficient way together as Adoptees, First-Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents.
Let’s not split and divide on this matter, let’s conquer and side on this matter.
Learn the Basics of Rights
Effective advocacy requires a basic understanding of rights. Here are some links to helpful background information and case law:
What is a fundamental right?
Privacy rights, legitimate interests vs. fundamental rights in Does v. Oregon (1999)
What’s the difference between Civil Rights and Human Rights?
State government powers explained
What is “equal protection?” Does equal always mean identical?
What’s the difference between substantive and procedural law/rights?
Prospective vs. retrospective amendments in relation to substantive and procedural rights.
Current and Past Adoption-related Bills
Searchable database of related state and federal legislation from
Adoption and Truth Transparency Organization: Link to list
California Current Bill
This bill as introduced would have authorized an adopted person 18 years of age or older, the adopted person’s direct line descendants if the adopted person is deceased, or their lawful representatives – subject to birthparent non-disclosure preference which must be filed within 30 days of notice – to obtain the adopted person’s original long-form birth certificate upon filing a verified petition with the superior court in the adopted person’s county of residence or in the county granting the order of adoption. Amended and approved unanimously by Assembly Judiciary committee 4/18/23. Referred to Committee on Health.
Search Interactive United States Map: The Right to Obtain Your Own Original Birth Certificate
Searchable database of related state and federal legislation from
Adoptee Rights Law Center: Link to map
CapRadio - Insight With Vicki Gonzalez: "Many of us have unrestricted access to our birth certificate. But that’s not necessarily the case for people who are adopted. Their legal rights can vary greatly from one state to the next. At the center of the issue is a birth parent's right to conceal their identity, if they choose. But there is also the right of an adoptee to access their own medical record to learn their origins and family health history. Roughly a dozen states allow an adult adoptee unrestricted access to their original birth certificate. But that isn’t the case in California, which is criticized as being the most restrictive state in the country. Assembly member Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), an adopted parent himself, authored #AB1302 to make it easier for an adoptee to access their original birth certificate."
LISTEN HERE
