Friends of clean adoption reform,

EXCELLENT NEWS! Today (5.24.23), Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz signed Health and Human Services omnibus (SF2995) into law, making Minnesota the 15th state to announce a policy of unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees (New York was 9th* in 2020)! We were happy, via the American Adoption Congress (AAC), to offer our support for the proposal!  We congratulate all who advocated on behalf of the proposal (originally SF1279 / HF1778), especially the allied Minnesota Coalition for Adoption Reform.  The law will go into effect in 2024 (7.1.24)!     

The provisions to take effect on July 1, 2024:

• Restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates (OBC) for all adult adopted persons; or, as needed, to “Birth parent identifying information” (age 18 and above)
• Dismantle Minnesota’s 46-year-old discriminatory and byzantine intermediary system
• Establish access for a “Person related to the adopted person” and legal representatives
• Allow for nonbinding contact preferences

We continue to thank you, and all who support adoptee rights.

Adoptee rights are human rights!
Adoptee rights are civil rights!

Adoptee equality will be restored in all 50 states! And D.C.!

Tim.

*Note: Previously, we noted New York as the 10th state, but is now noted as the 9th state.  Hawaii access law requires an adjustment to restore its position as an unrestricted access state.

States with a policy of unrestricted OBC access for adult adoptees (alphabetical): 

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota (July 1, 2024), New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota (July 1, 2023) and Vermont (VT primary provisions take effect July 1, 2023)