Starting in 2000, the Maryland General Assembly has passed several bills that make it easier for adopted children to find their birth parents. In the beginning only adopted children or birth parents could initiate a search or be contacted. Now, families of adopted children and birth parents can be contacted as well.

"Since the state instituted the adoption search process, Mr. [Frank] Turner says that there have been 'thousands of reunions, and 99 percent of them are positive. The way it's set up, you can't have a reunion unless both parties agree to it.'"

All searches are filtered through the Department of Human Resources, which maintains a statewide Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry. Read more online.