Almost Happy New Year Everyone!

We had a surge of over 70 signatures last night. Thank you. We have a total of 1,296 signatures so far.

We continue to share these results with lawmakers.

If you would like to write a letter of support, please do. Check the CAAR Facebook page for further instructions and ideas if you choose. 

Address it to Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee/Members of the Senate Health Committee (depending on which committee you are submitting to).

Your letter does not need to be long. "I am in support of SB381." Give some reasons why an adoptee having access to their original birth certificate is important to you. 

You can send it to the Senate Judiciary Committee Portal. Put in SB381. The language does not reflect our bill because it is a gut and amend. This will change on January 5th. If you enter it now, your letter will count and reflect the new Original Birth Certificate language.

Portal
https://sjud.senate.ca.gov/committeehome

 

You can also email it to sjud.fax@sen.ca.gov

We also need you to email it to the Senate Health Committee. Their portal is not open yet, but you can email it to SHEA.Committee@senate.ca.gov

 

Things are happening quickly! Fingers crossed!

Paul

FACT SHEET: Restoring Adoptee Access to Original

Birth Certificates (OBCs)

California Alliance for Adoptee Rights (CAAR)

Contact: https://caallianceforadopteerights.org

SUMMARY

Adult adoptees in California are denied the right to obtain their own original birth certificate

(OBC)—a vital record created at birth and independent of adoption. Our bill restores equal access

to this record. It is not about adoption files, reunions, or confidential communications. It is simply

about allowing adults to access the document that records the true facts of their birth.

KEY POINTS

1. The Original Birth Certificate Is a Vital Record

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Issued at birth for all children, before any adoption occurs.

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Contains only basic birth information—not adoption data.

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Adoption may never occur; therefore no confidentiality can be promised.

2. No Legal Basis for Confidentiality Claims

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Relinquishment documents contain no promise of anonymity—they cannot, because

adoption is not guaranteed.

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OBCs remain accessible when children are not adopted or when adoptive parents decline a

new certificate.

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Courts can—and do—order access, demonstrating there is no absolute right to birth

parent confidentiality.

3. Birth Mothers Overwhelmingly Support Access

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More than 95% of birth mothers favor unrestricted OBC access.

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Research from 26 states shows no historical promise of confidentiality to birth mothers.

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We have letters of support from birth mother organizations, a national association of

adoption attorneys, the American Academy of Pediatrics, foster parent organizations, and

other professional organizations.

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Birth mothers do not want restrictions or barriers to birth certificate access for their

relinquished child when they are adults under the guise of claiming to “protect” birth

mothers - it contradicts their own voices.

4. Anonymity No Longer Exists

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DNA testing, genealogy databases, and search technology already identify birth families.

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Accessing one’s own OBC is less invasive than DNA searches involving extended

relatives.

5. Secrecy Harms Adoptees

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Denies essential family health history, affecting medical care and prevention.

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Prevents cultural or tribal affiliation (e.g., Native American heritage).

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Can cause passport denials for adoptees whose amended certificates were filed years

after birth.

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Reinforces outdated stigma and treats adoptees unequally under the law.

6. Broad, Bipartisan Support Nationwide

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16 states now allow unrestricted OBC access.

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No negative outcomes and courts have upheld these laws.

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Louisiana (2022), New Hampshire (2005), and others recognize this as a human rights

and equality issue.

WHY CALIFORNIA MUST ACT

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A birth certificate belongs to the person whose birth it documents.

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California prides itself on civil rights, dignity, and equality—yet adult adoptees remain the

only Californians denied access to their own vital records.

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Restoring access corrects decades of state-imposed secrecy, aligns California with national

momentum, and affirms adoptees’ fundamental human right to identity.

THE ASK

Support legislation granting adult California-born adoptees unrestricted access to their original

birth certificates—just like every other person born in our state.