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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Allied organizations are gathering at the State |
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Capitol on March 21, 2023, to advocate for the right of adopted |
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adults to access their original birth certificates; and |
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WHEREAS, Under current Texas law, a child's original birth |
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certificate is sealed when he or she is adopted; at the age of 18, |
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adoptees may apply for their birth certificate, and if they know the |
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identity of the parents named on that document, the vital |
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statistics unit must release a noncertified copy; however, adoptees |
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who do not know the names of their birth parents are required to |
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petition for access in court in the county that granted the |
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adoption, showing "good cause," a term that the law does not define; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Concealment of true parentage is an unfortunate |
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vestige of another era; barriers to obtaining the original birth |
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certificate deprive adoptees of vital information about their |
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personal identity, and the lack of transparency denies family |
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medical histories that could indicate the nature of health issues |
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or warn of the need for preventative care; the right to such |
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information is broadly understood, and a 2021 poll by Baselice & |
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Associates showed that 77 percent of Texans believe that adult |
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adoptees should have the same access to their original birth |
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certificates that all other adult Texans have; and |
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WHEREAS, Dedicated to ending the inequitable treatment of |
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adult adoptees who do not know the identity of their birth parents, |
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allied groups are registering their support of House Bill 2006; the |
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bill grants all adult adoptees the right to access their original |
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birth certificates, and it incorporates provisions that represent |
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the interests of adult adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive |
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parents alike; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, the inability to access an original |
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birth certificate has been the source of much heartbreak and |
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confusion, and the organizations and individuals working |
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tirelessly for a solution have demonstrated a commendable |
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commitment to honesty, justice, and equality for adult adoptees; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 21, 2023, as Texas Adoptee |
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Rights Day at the State Capitol. |