When the adoption is finalized an adoption decree is issued. If a child was NOT adopted formally or had gone into an orphanage or foster care the natural parents names would still be on the birth certificate and the child could get it. Anyone can relinquish a child but only those whose children get adopted have their birth certificates altered. This raises the question of confidentiality. If the records reflect the truth until the adoption and then are closed and the amended birth certificate is issued when the adoption is finalized who is being protected? It seems like it is more like the adoptive parents are being protected. The adult adoptee who wants the truth of their origins had no one to represent them at the time the decree of adoption was issued or at the finalization hearing.

The day the adoptive family receives their child is full of joy and the day is filled with love and excitement. Most adoptive parents won’t think for a minute about the baby in their arms becoming an adult and facing the questions of who am I and where did I come from.

There are some adoption decrees that contain the original name of the child. I am not sure how wide spread this practice was but am suspecting that it was not very wide spread. If it was, more adoptees would have a name to search with since some adoptive parents are willing to share the papers and information they have.

Most adoptions are finalized and the decree is issued in the county where the adoptive parents resided at the time of the adoption. My adoptive parents have told me that they didn’t have to say anything at the hearing and felt extremely relieved when it was over. My adoptive parents didn’t really fear my natural mother reclaiming me but rather that the courts wouldn’t finalize the adoption.