A legislative template that comes into force on July 1 will enable adopted Georgians to learn more about their origins, including the birth and the names of their biological parents.
Illustration by Christine Ongjoco.
Getting a copy of an original birth certificate in Georgia is usually a simple task for most – fill out a requirement form, pay a fee of $ 25 and it is yours.
The process was not so easy for adults.
Due to a long-term state law that made their birth certificates sealed, adopted court commands had to receive, hire lawyers and in some cases obtain the permission of adoptive and birth parents to get the same piece of paper into their hands.
But a struggle for promotion that almost 65 -year -old restrictions ended this month when governor Brian Kemp Senate Bill 100 signed the law and could secure copies of their original birth for over 18 years Certificate From the state office for important records. Similar legislation was introduced in 2023 and 2024, but never made it to the governor's desk.
Since the adopted of the law, Georgia Alliance for Adopte Rights has set up a flood of excited calls and social media messages from adopted, said Jamie Weiss, co-founder. The organization was at the top of the advance for legislation, which comes into force on July 1st.
“It is a relief,” said Weiss. “It's really a relief.”
The two co-sponsors of the legislation, who are themselves adoptive parents, told the reprint that the change in the law restored a fundamental right.
Senator Randy Robertson named the legislation according to his adopted daughter “Andee's Law”. Adopted should not be kept on another standard than everyone else, he said.
“It moves this line that used to be between biological children and adoptive children,” said Robertson. “The turnout on the day the governor signed from the adoption community was simply incredible.”
MP Joseph Gullett said that access to these records does not “break down adoption or change families”.
“It offers fairness, dignity and the opportunity to learn more about the beginnings,” said Gullett in an explanation of the print. “I was proud to conduct this legislation and to stand with adopted people who have long campaigned for this change.”
The Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signs SB100 in the law in order to grant the adopted in Georgia access to their original birth certificates. Photo provided.
In just a few weeks before the law comes into force, Georgia's office for important records is now preparing for a challenging task.
Although no judicial order is no longer necessary, the adopted must make an appointment with the office for vital documents in order to gain access to the “sealed” documents, since calling up more manual work is necessary. The department informed the impression that the state had hundreds of stored boxes with adoption files, many of which are on microfiche and microfilm.
Weiss said, adopted who call their group, questions about this next steps. Often adopted changed birth certificates receive their adoptive names and their parents. However, many pursue access to their original records in order to combine with biological families again, to understand their origins or to learn their medical history. Others want the document because it is simply a missing piece of their identity.
“It's all about having these facts in black and white in front of you,” said Weiss.
From confidentiality to transparency
After the adoption of the law, Georgia has become part of a growing movement to grant adopted access to their original birth certificates. 16 countries have solved previous restrictions since 2019, including New York, Minnesota, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Vermont and South Dakota.
The process was not always so secret in Georgia, where the birth dates were open until 1961. This year the state became one of many in the whole country that, in response to growing privacy concern for biological parents – especially the unmarried mothers – who were often faced with social conviction, stated more restrictive laws.
Such concerns came to court for the adopted Gregory Luce, a lawyer based in Minnesota and founder of the Adopte Rights Law Center. When he was looking for access to his original birth certificate, he had to submit a quilt that his birth mother gave him before she died to prove her consent.
“We had already united again, but it didn't matter,” he said. “This is the level of evidence. You have to prove that someone else wants you to have it, in contrast to you are entitled to it.”
But in the past few decades, the hard lines have also aroused under adoption and interest group groups, which have accommodated violent data protection concerns in the past.
The National Council for Adoption, a non -profit organization that supports itself for birth parents, adoptive parents and adopted, has historically preferred “registrations of mutual consent”, according to which both parties agree to exchange information. At least 30 countries have such registrations.
“It is only able to have these facts in black and white in front of them. This connection to what they are, they have started to be huge.”
– Jamie Weiss, Georgia Alliance for Adopte rights
In 2016, the group, Chuck Johnson, said Stateline that the main concern of his organization about the data protection rights of biological parents, who believed that their identity would never be unveiled after the adoptions were never unveiled.
“You expect your state to comply with the conditions when you dial your children,” said Johnson.
Ryan Hanlon, the current CEO and President of the group, said that he was now largely recognized among adoptive authorities that the preservation of privacy was unrealistic, in particular with the spread of DNA kits and social media. In addition, many adoptions already contain some joint information and ongoing contact today, he said.
He expects more states to remove mutual consent agreements and follow Georgia's leadership.
“They go 15, more than 20 years back, they will absolutely find a lot of opposition to the birth record access,” said Hanlon. “Now it's not a new thing.”
Proponents of the Georgia Alliance for Adopte Rights celebrate the signing of SB100 on May 13th. Provision of photo.
Jim Outman, lawyer of Georgia Adoption and Family Law, has pushed for such reforms for more than two decades.
He has helped adopted to maintain their records for years – and “hated it.” The process would take at least two to six months. And before they came to him, some adopted had already paid thousands of dollars to other lawyers who could not get the records.
He has also campaigned for a long time for another right, of which he believes it is necessary to maintain people's legacy: Secure the rights to original birth certificates for parents, siblings and descendants of adopted who have died.
Outman's advocacy was successful – that the provision in the new law of Georgia was accepted.
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But when he started fighting for this kind of access, he didn't know that it would make sense for his own family.
His adopted adult son died in 2020. He is now planning to apply for his original birth certificate.
“Some of me would like to turn to his birth mother and tell her that he died because I have to believe that if she still lives, she wonders,” he said.
