Connecticut Passes Bill Permitting Adoptees Access to Original Birth Certificate

The following announcement is extracted from the IAJGS mailing list and is republished here with permission:

Following an emotional and personal debate over whether privacy rights of birth parents should override the rights of adoptees seeking information about their past Connecticut is now the 10th state to guarantee original birth certificate access.  Governor Ned Lamont’s signature on the legislation—HB 6105—this week makes approximately 40,000 adoptees in Connecticut access to their original birth certificates.

Prior to this legislation, the state first sealed birth records in 1944 and then unsealed adoptions going forth in 1983. So for those adopted between 1944 and 1983 they could not access their original birth records.

To read the new law, Public Act No 21-21 go to:

https://www.cga.ct.gov/searchresults.asp?cx=005177121039084408563%3Ahs1zq3ague8&ie=UTF-8&cof=FORID%3A10&q=HB+6105&submission=%EF%80%82

To read more see:

https://ctmirror.org/category/ct-viewpoints/lamont-sign-bill-giving-adult-adoptees-access-original-birth-certificates/

and

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/connecticut/articles/2021-05-04/house-votes-to-grant-all-adoptees-access-to-birth-records

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee