In a typical closed adoption, the adopted person knows very little about his biological family members. In many cases even basic family medical history is unknown. When these adoptees reach adulthood they often decide to search for their birth relatives to get answers about where they come from.
Get Adoption Facts to Begin a Successful Search for Birth Parents
The first step for an adoptee wishing to find his birth family is to make a list of everything he knows about his birth and adoption. The adoptive parents are the best – and possibly only – source of this information. Of course they can only reveal what they were told themselves during the adoption process. Usually the adoptee will have to fill in the blanks during the search process.
Some of the basic facts to make note of are:
- Date of birth
- City and state of birth
- Time of birth
- Hospital of birth
- Delivering doctor
- Name at birth
- Date of relinquishment
- Date of adoption
- Agency or attorney handling the adoption
- Court where adoption was finalized
- Name of social workers involved with the adoption
- Date of baptism or other religious rite, if any
- Location of baptism
- Name of priest performing the baptism
Most adoptees will not have answers for all of these items but it is important to list what is known and to identify the details that need to be discovered. The name at birth and even the name of the hospital are typically unknown because they do not appear on the amended birth certificate issued to most children of closed adoptions.
Adoptees Need Adoption Records to Locate Birth Family
Now is the time to gather together in a file all of the documents related to the birth and adoption. These include birth certificates (original and amended), the adoption decree, baptismal certificate, and any other papers that contain names, dates or places related to the adoption. Again, every situation is different and every adoptee will not have all of these documents.
Keeping track of the facts about the birth and adoption are crucial to a successful search. As new details and documents are uncovered they will be added to this file to create a complete picture of the adoption.
Learn State Adoption Laws Regarding Records
The next step in conducting a search for birth parents is to investigate the state laws that govern what information is available to the adoptee in a closed adoption. While there are some states that allow an adopted person to obtain a copy of his original birth certificate, most states do not.
In some states laws have been changed numerous times and therefore depend on the year in which the adoption took place. Look on the websites of state governments or county probate courts to find this information, or contact state government offices directly.
Non-Identifying Information Helps an Adult Adoptee Find Birth Mother
In cases where the adoptee does not know key details such as his birth name, obtaining non-identifying information about the adoption will be the most important step in the search. This information is provided by whoever handled the adoption, which could be an adoption agency, a state or county department of social or family services, or a private attorney. If all else fails, the information can be obtained directly from the court where the adoption was finalized.
Non-identifying information can contain many details about the birth and adoption, except for birth family member names or anything else that would help identify them. The amount of information varies depending on state laws and individual agency practices. It is best to ask for specific pieces of information even though some requests may be denied.
Facts that may be included are:
- Birth parents' ages
- Circumstances of the birth and relinquishment
- Medical information
- Physical characteristics of birth parents
- Ancestry
- Education level of birth parents
- Employment information
- Religion
- Birth family structure including siblings of birth parents
- Information regarding siblings of the adoptee
Typically a fee is charged for this information, which can range from $50 to $250 for agencies or attorneys, or $40 to $60 for courts. It usually takes three to six months to receive the report but it is well worth the wait. Many adoptees learn from their non-identifying information that the facts of their adoption are somewhat different than what they believed all their lives.
Find Birth Family Name and Locate Birth Parents
With documented facts of the adoption in hand, it is time to begin the task of tracking down a name and finding contact information for birth family members. Even with the existence of numerous online people search resources, adoptees who enlist the help of experienced searchers stand a much better chance of successfully locating their birth family.
Note: This article focuses on adoptees born in the United States. Resources will vary depending on the adopted person's country of origin.
Resources:
The Child Welfare Information Gateway Website. Adoption Search and Reunion (accessed March 25, 2010).
Reunion.adoption.com
Adopting.org
Karen Pickell - Karen Pickell is a Contributing Editor of Flycatcher: A Journal of Native Imagination. Her creative writing is included or forthcoming in ...
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