Bill To Open Records Of Adults Adopted As Children After 1983 Reaches Malloy's Desk
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new state law in Connecticut will make certain records available of adults who were adopted as children three decades ago.
As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported Saturday, the Connecticut State Senate passed legislation Wednesday by a vote of 31 to 5, requiring the Department of Public Health to give individuals at least 18 years old, and whose adoptions were finalized on or after Oct. 1, 1983, copies of their original birth certificate.
Connecticut Bill To Open Records To Some Adopted Children Reaches Malloy's Desk
Their adult children or grandchildren could also obtain them.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch was himself an adopted child. He has championed the bill, but will not be able to benefit personally.
"I have four boys of my own, and when I take them to the doctor, they're also discriminated against because they can't tell half of their family medical history to their doctor, and I can't tell them either," Finch said.
While Finch hailed the bill as a big step forward, he also urged lawmakers in every state to work for complete birth record access to all adoptees.
"It's a basic human desire that only those of us who are adopted are denied, and it doesn't give us equal protection under the law," Finch said.
Others took the opposite position. State Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) called it ``morally wrong'' for the legislature to change the rules later, saying some birth parents might not want their information revealed.
The state House of Representatives already passed the legislation. If signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the change would take effect on July 1, 2015.
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