Utah lawmakers introduced a new bill that aims to give adult adoptees easier access to their adoption records.
The bill, known as HB129, was sponsored by Republican Rep. Raymond Ward. It would allow adoptees to acquire their original birth certificate after they turn 18, eliminating the requirement that they appear before a judge beforehand.
Easier Access to Adoption Records
In a statement, Ward said several studies conducted in different settings showed that if people are allowed to learn more about their past, they can improve their lives in the present. The representative added that the proposed bill protects birth parents, who can request that their files be sealed even after the adoptees turn 18.
The bill comes as an 11-year-old, identified as Elena Cooper, said that she wanted to get a birth certificate that had her birth parents' names on it. She noted that it was unfair for this particular information not to be on her birth certificate, according to KSL News Radio.
Another adoptee, Laura Lee Salamino, said that her adoption was closed and that getting access to her biological history later in life was very important to her health. She said that finding her biological mom gave her access to her medical records.
Salamino added that she found out that two of her sisters had cancer before they were 45 and that her biological grandmother died at 52 years old because of an aneurysm. She said that having this information saved her life two years ago.
Passing the Utah Legislature
Ward's bill passed the Utah Legislature on Friday with a final vote in the House and will now go to Gov. Spencer Cox for him to sign or veto. Before this, the proposed bill passed the Senate in a unanimous vote on Thursday and was brought back after changes were made in the Senate, Deseret reported.
Current laws state that if an adult who was part of a closed adoption wanted to see their birth certificate and adoption records, they had to appear before a judge, which forced them to have an attorney.
Under Ward's proposed bill, for birth parents to be able to seal their records from adoptees' records, they need to show that there is a genuine threat of harm if access is given. There were other similar bills introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Kevin Cramer that proposed funding pre- and post-adoption services, as per Imprint News.
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