Adoptees

Many adoptees are interested in understanding more about the adoption process.  They may also be interested in trying to identify and locate their birth mother and birth father.

Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons is a factsheet that examines the impact of adoption on adopted persons who have reached adulthood. While it is difficult to make sweeping statements about such a large and diverse group as adopted persons, it can be said that adopted persons generally lead lives that are no different from the lives of non-adopted persons; however, they have experiences that are unique to being adopted, and these experiences may have an impact on their lives at various times. There are several themes that emerge from both the personal accounts of adopted persons and from the studies of academic researchers. This factsheet addresses these themes, which include loss, the development of identity and self-esteem, interest in genetic information, and managing adoption issues.

Regarding identifying and locating birth parents, the adoptee needs to have the adoption records that have been preserved by their adoptive parents or they need to do their own search for identifying information. The information below can help in a search or reunion.

Searching for Birth Relatives is a fact sheet that can provide some guidance on the search process and information access, as well as resources for further help in conducting a successful search. This fact sheet is designed to address the concerns of both adopted persons who are searching for birth parents or other birth relatives, as well as birth parents (both mothers and fathers) who want to locate a child who was adopted.

After an adoption is finalized, a new birth certificate for the child is customarily issued to the adoptive parents. The original birth certificate is then sealed and kept confidential. In the past, nearly all States required a court order for adopted persons to gain access to their original birth certificates. In approximately 28 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico, a court order is still required to gain access to the original birth certificate, but in many States, the laws are changing to allow easier access to these records.

In nearly all States, adoption records are sealed and withheld from public inspection after the adoption is finalized. To maintain the confidentiality of these records, most States have instituted procedures by which parties to an adoption, including the adoptee, may obtain non-identifying and identifying information from an adoption record, while still protecting the interests of all parties.  To understand how your State addresses this issue, you can visit a National Adoption Clearinghouse Information document (Access to Adoption Records), or Child Adoption Laws. 

Many states have an adoption registry that can help unite an adoptee with his/her birth parents. If your state has a registry, it may be found under the adoption laws of your state (visit Child Adoption Laws). 

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