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CANADA ONTARIO On June 6, Marilyn Churley (MPP for Toronto-Danforth) had the first reading of Bill 77, the Adoption Disclosure Statute Law Amendment Act, 2001. This is her third attempt in three years to pass a private members' bill for adoption disclosure. The bill would allow adult adoptees born in Ontario access to their original birth certificates at age 18 and would give birth parents access to the birth registration and adoption decree when the adoptee reached age 19. Unfortunately, the legislation falls short of unconditional access by including contact veto provisions (with a $5000 fine) that can be filed by both adoptees and birthparents. This bill is expected to have its second reading in the fall, and then it will likely be referred to a committee. Contact Natalie Proctor Servant, BN Director for Ontario at nsprocto@magma.ca for more information on the Ontario legislation.
CALIFORNIA AB 1349, which would give adoptees born in California unconditional access to their original birth certificates and adoption decrees as well as their county-held adoption files, was heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on April 17, 2001. AB 1349 is backed by California Open2001, a broad coalition of California adoption reformers supported by Bastard Nation, the AAC, and Concerned United Birthparents. California Open2001 held a rally on the Capitol steps on April 17 in addition to testifying before the Committee. California Open2001 activists did an excellent job in presenting their case as a civil and human rights issue while battling the usual assortment of arguments from bill opponents. The Committee opted to hold the bill over until the fall 2001 session without taking a vote. California Open2001 has continued to build support for the issue through participation in Adoptee Rights Days and other activities around the state. Contact Ron Morgan at rhyzome@best.com. The California Open 2001 website can be visited at www.caopen2001.org. GEORGIA The clock ran out on adoptee rights legislation in Georgia, as the legislative session ended with House Bill 664 under review by a House Judiciary subcommittee. The bill will be carried over to the 2002 session with amendments anticipated. LOUISIANA Unconditional access legislation was introduced in Louisiana by grassroots activists associated with Louisiana Adoption Advocates (LAA). Despite a strong effort by LAA to lobby Senate Bill 30 against its opponents, a House committee decided to amend the bill so that records would be opened only for future adoptions. LAA immediately withdrew support for the legislation and is planning to re-introduce unconditional access legislation in the 2003 session. Contact Kenny Tucker, Co-chair of Louisiana Adoption Advocates, at KTucker to get involved with the efforts to end adoptee rights violations or visit their website at laa.digimarkz.com/index.html for more information. MISSOURI MO Open 2000, a coalition supported by Bastard Nation, campaigned for passage of House Bill 355 during the 2001 legislative session. HB 355 would have given adult adoptees who were born in Missouri unconditional access to their original birth certificates. The bill passed out of committee on March 13, 2001 by an overwhelming 12-2 majority. Unfortunately, HB 355 was defeated in a vote before the full House. Nevertheless, the Missouri Open 2000 coalition was pleased that the number of aye votes had increased substantially over the 2000 House vote on the same piece of legislation. Missouri Open 2000 is gearing up to continue the fight for adoptee rights in the 2002 session. Contact Lindsay Woodside at quilter55@yahoo.com or Patti Roderique at 573-483-2993 to get involved. The Missouri Open 2000 website is located at site.yahoo.com/adoptee-rights. NEW HAMPSHIRE House Bill 449, an unconditional access bill supported by the New Hampshire Open Adoption Records Coalition (NHOARC), has been held over in a Child and Family Law subcommittee pending amendments. The NHOARC does not support the amendments being discussed by the subcommittee, which would gut the intent of the bill and only add a time limit for agencies to complete intermediary searches and provide original birth certificates to adult adoptees if the intermediary search leads to a deceased birth parent. The NHOARC has asked the Chair of the Child and Family Law Committee to give the amended bill an "inexpedient to legislate" (don't pass) recommendation before it comes before the House for a vote. For more information on the NH efforts, contact Janet Allen at dtjallen@worldpath.net or the NH Open Adoption Records Coalition at P.O. Box 4165, Concord, NH 03302-4165; (603) 878-0699; www.nhoarc.com. PENNSYLVANIA The final report of the Advisory Committee to the Joint State Government Commission Task Force on Adoption Law has been introduced into the PA Legislature. The Advisory Committee met for three years to completely rewrite the adoption statutes for PA. Bastard Nation Executive Committee member Cynthia Bertrand Holub has been an active member of the Advisory Committee. Senator Stewart Greenleaf, who is pro-open records, initially called for the Advisory Committee report as a way of forestalling the passage of the stringent anti-adoptee provisions of the Uniform Adoption Act. Unfortunately, the recommendations of the Committee, which was made up largely of adoption professionals, fell far short of unconditional access for adult adoptees. Instead, the report recommends expansion of the CI system for adoptees born before passage of the Act and access to records if a CI searcher fails to locate a birth parent to secure permission within 18 months. Adoptees born after passage would have unconditional access to their original birth certificates, a provision likely to face much opposition, and other information from court and agency records if their birth parent does not file a disclosure veto. Public hearings will be scheduled in the fall. Once these bills are enacted, it is unlikely open records or any other adoption-related legislation will be revisited for some time to come. Sen. Greenleaf has introduced the report into the Senate as SB 859, and Rep. Krebs into the House as HB 1471. The latter is available online at www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2001/0/HB1471P1775.HTM (the Senate version is identical). RHODE ISLAND Despite repeated attempts to successfully lobby unconditional access legislation in Rhode Island by activist Nancy Horgan and others, true adoptee rights legislation in the state continues to be stonewalled through remanding to killer committees. Regrettably, the Rhode Island House passed an alternative bill, House Bill 6271, on June 19, 2001. This bill expands the registry system in the state and provides unconditional access to original birth certificates for adoptees born after 2001. Since this bill does not recognize the civil rights of adult adoptees born in Rhode Island prior to enactment of the legislation and would likely make future passage of unconditional access legislation for all adoptees born in RI difficult, Bastard Nation does not support this bill. The RI legislation is currently pending passage by the Senate, which must occur by June 29, 2001. TEXAS Governor Perry
signed the Anonymous Abandonment Expansion act this month. A bill
to amend the state vital records policy, HB 1767, failed to pass out
of committee. The legislature reconvenes in Jan. 2003. Audio record
of House committee testimony on HB 1767 is available at: BABY DUMPS The 2001 legislative
season continues to be an active one for enactment of legalized baby
dumping legislation. On May 23, Illinois' General Assembly passed
HB 632, the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. It sailed through
both houses and is sitting on Governor Ryan's desk awaiting his signature.
He is expected to sign it. ******************************************************** (This feature appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of the Bastard Quarterly.) Copyright 2001
Bastard Nation
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