HARTFORD, Conn. – The House approved legislation early Friday morning to give adult adoptees access to previously sealed birth certificates containing the names of their biological parents.
In Connecticut and most other states, adoptees only have access to amended birth certificates that omit the parents’ names. Adoptees argue that the redacted birth records create health risks for them. Without knowing their family medical histories, they cannot be screened for illnesses to which they are predisposed based on family medical history and genetics.
The bill was brought out around 12:45 a.m. by Rep. David Alexander, an Enfield Democrat who was adopted as a child. Lawmakers approved it on a 106-29 vote around 1:20 a.m.
“This is a tough issue,” Alexander said during the debate. “It’s a very emotional issue and it’s difficult to talk about . . . but the primary motivation behind the bill and for opening up these records is for the medical history and also for the individual adoptees’ identity.”
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