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- Introduced by Rep. Lisa Wojno (D) on June 12, 2007, to allow a person who was adopted to get a copy of his or her original birth certificate upon reaching age 21, and allow the birth parent of an adopted child to insert a contact preference form in the file with the sealed birth record, indicating a desire to be contacted or not should the adopted child obtain the birth records.
- Referred to the House Families and Childrens Services Committee on June 12, 2007.
- Reported in the House on March 5, 2008, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
- Substitute offered by Rep. Lisa Wojno (D) on June 27, 2008, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details but does not change the substance of the bill as previously described. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on June 27, 2008.
- Referred to the House Families and Childrens Services Committee on June 12, 2007.
- Passed 99 to 8 in the House on June 27, 2008.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" - Received in the Senate on July 17, 2008.
- Referred to the Senate Families and Human Services Committee on July 17, 2008.
Comments
1) Re: 2007 House Bill 4896 (Establish adoptee birth parent identification process ) by jimm on April 28, 2010Alaska and Kansas, two states which have never sealed birth certificates from adoptees, and Oregon which made birth certificates available to adult adoptees ten years ago, have LOWER abortion rates and HIGHER adoption rates than ANY state with sealed birth certificates. Those who think allowing adult adoptees to have their birth certificates will result in an increase in abortions are absolutely WRONG.
Senator Jansen does not support equality for all adult citizens and will never support legislation such as HB4896.
I'm thrilled at the prospect of being able to obtain a copy of my original birth certificate, trully a dream come. I appreciate all the comments and frustrations of the other adoptees. I too have looked in to the mirror and wished I knew someone who looked like me and was not pleasanty surprised to find a registration card instead of a birth certificate. While it's too late to meet my birth parents as I'm nearly 60, I would like to have their names. Hurray for the forward looking legislators! Kathleen, born Suzanne Marie 4/23/50 Detroit.
As the wife of an adoptee, I can assure you there's more to wanting an original birth certificate than just wanting to meet birth parents.
My husband is adopted. We were fortunate to conceive our first child quickly. However we went through 18 months of trying to conceive our second child. When we were finally referred to a specialist, going through a medical history we had no idea about was very difficult for my husband. He shut down for days afterward. He felt that he wasn't contributing enough to the cause of getting pregnant. When I finally did become pregnant, we were referred for high-risk as I'm 35. That meant genetic counseling. Again, my husband shut down because he had no answers to give.
We are so grateful for Rep. Wojno for sponsoring this legislation and hope the Senate approves it quickly.
It is not only for our benefit that we seek answers, but for our children. Our first child is developmentally delayed and while he has had some genetic testing, it only provides a fraction of the puzzle.
All children deserve to know their history, whether it's their ethnic background or what's in their genetic make-up.
Can you imagine sitting in a doctor's office and answering "I don't know" to a list of 50+ questions just because you're adopted and have no access to your file?
I don't have to imagine it, I've been watching it happen for five years and it's just as disheartening to watch as it is to go through it.
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