Friends of “clean” adoption reform,
Happy Independence Day and we hope all are staying healthy and safe.
Today we declared official victory for our human and civil rights appeal at change.org, one year after our last delivery to Governor Cuomo. However, further updates can and will be provided! Our advocacy in New York and elsewhere goes on!
With immense, ongoing thanks to all 10,000+ of you, below see our full “Victory declaration,” now posted at the main petition site!
https://www.change.org/p/enact-clean-ny-law-of-adoptee-rights
STATUS: Orders for pre-adoption birth certificates are being filled! We remain in contact with senior staff of the New York State Department of Health and they will advise of any information updates related to New York State and New York City.
VitalChek supervisory staff advises of the following current application timeframes (subject to change as the pandemic continues to be managed):
Paper applications (to NYS or NYC DOH): Are being processed and e-mail updates (which may assist with timeframe) will be provided to applicants if email contact was properly entered onto the form.
Internet applications / VitalChek:
- NYC: 60 - 80 days + next day delivery—UPS
- NYC: 60 - 80 days + 2-3 days delivery—USPS
- NY State: 35 - 40 days + next day delivery—UPS
- NY State: 40 - 45 days + 2 - 3-days delivery—USPS
July 4, 2020—Victory declaration:
Let it be known—This adoptee human and civil rights petition was launched on April 5th, 2016. The appeal included a three-stage strategy to “Restore,” then “Advance” then “Enact” a “clean” adoptee rights bill that would restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all New York adult adopted persons.
Numerous updates were published and furnished to the growing number of signatories, as well as allied advocates, interested parties, the media and the public.
Fourteen petition deliveries were made to Albany officials. Recipients included Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, The New York State Department of Health and various members of the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate.
Petition deliveries to Governor Cuomo, to support our various discussions and correspondence with his senior staff, are documented within two parts of the New York State Library public record: (1) the A5036-B “Veto Jacket”—part of our supported, successful appeal for veto in 2017 and (2) the S3419 “Bill Jacket”—part of our supported, successful appeal for approval in 2019.
The first petition delivery took place from April 28th – April 29th 2016. The last delivery, to Governor Cuomo, took place on July 4th, 2019. The appeal was to sign S3419 into law to (a) restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all New York adult adopted persons, (b) establish access for direct line descendants of deceased New York adopted persons and (c) establish access for legal representatives of the two aforementioned groups.
On November 14th, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed S3419 into law, the same day it was delivered to him by the New York State Senate.
On January 15th, 2020, S3419 went into effect as Public Health Law § 4138-E. Victory for this petition was announced.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PBH/4138-E
Official victory, on change.org, was declared on July 4th, 2020, one year following the final petition delivery to Governor Cuomo.
https://www.change.org/p/enact-clean-ny-law-of-adoptee-rights
We deeply thank all 10,000+ supporters of this historic appeal. Our efforts to advance adoptee human and civil rights continue.
Petition news updates can and will continue to apprise of, for example, birth certificate application procedure, updated Department of Health statistics and ongoing advocacy efforts.
Adoptee rights = human rights = civil rights.
Thank you.
Tim Monti-Wohlpart