As a member of the adoption community for almost 20 years I have always been interested in the rights of adoption triad members. As an adoptee I know what it means to every adoptee to be sealed away from updated medical information. I know the feelings that come from having to draw an X through the medical history questionnaire at the doctors office. I also know the outcome of searching for a connection to a natural parent and having it come to an end at a grave site.

I strongly believe that it is time for all states to establish legislation that would allow adoptees to be equal citizens under the laws of the state and not treat adoption triad members as second class citizens.

Many natural mothers were not promised confidentiality when they surrendered their child during the closed adoption era. In a majority of the cases confidentiality was either not mentioned at the time of surrender or that it was verbally imposed on them. In the TN and OR court cases the opposition, the National Council for Adoption, was unable to produce any written promises of confidentiality from its member agencies. In addition to this the statistics in DE and NH show that it is not true that natural parents want to hide their identity from surrendered children.

In addition to the above, the opponents to open records have claimed that giving adoptees access to records would increase abortions and decrease adoptions. During the TN battle statistical comparisons of adoptions and abortions over time and between different states was proof that open records would not increase the number of abortions.

Since the closed adoption era social attitudes have changed. Illegitimate no longer carries the same stigma and single motherhood is accepted. Yet sealed records laws enacted prior to this time have not changed. Triad members are expected to tolerate outdated laws. People no longer want or expect to be subjected to the secrecy of the past.

There are adoptees who choose to not seek this information. There are also natural parents who seek anonymity from the children they relinquished to adoption. What matters is that the triad members make that choice for themselves and that the state, not by force of sealed records make the choice for them.