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