« Law - "Judges with Temperaments" | Main | Ind. Gov't. - "James Rogers, Duke's chairman and chief executive, met privately with Gov. Mitch Daniels: Executive tried to keep power plant on track, documents reveal" »
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Law - "Illinois law opens access to biological parents"
Mark Wilson of the Evansville Courier & Press has this story today. Some quotes from the long story:
EVANSVILLE — An change in Illinois law is expected to throw open the doors this week for adoptees to obtain the names of their birth parents in that state.The lengthy story compares and contasts the Indiana and Illinois laws.When adoptions are final it is customary to issue a new birth certificate to the adoptive parents and seal the original birth certificate, which is kept confidential by each state's vital records registrar.
"Adopted persons will now be able to apply for an original birth certificate," said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The law places Illinois at odds with more restrictive laws in its neighboring states, including Indiana. * * *
[T]he law makes Illinois the largest state in the country to allow adoptees to obtain original birth certificates. Only a handful of states, including Alabama, Alaska, Maine and Oregon allow adult adoptees unconditional access to it. A crazy-quilt of other policies exists in other states that involves court orders, mutual consent, adoption registries, confidential intermediaries and even counseling sessions.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie last June conditionally vetoed a law allowing original birth certificate release, saying he preferred a more cautious approach of confidential intermediaries and release only if the biological parents couldn't be found.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 13, 2011 02:30 PM
Posted to General Law Related