Every person born in the U.S. has a birth certificate that names the place, time, and date of birth along with the names of the birth parents. But if a child is adopted, the original birth certificate is changed and the adoptive parents are listed as the birth parents - something this adoptive mom from Iowa struggles to accept.

"Adoption isn't necessarily a beginning or ending for any child. It's part of that child's journey through life. Adopted children have a biological family that will always and inevitably be part of them - whether they know anything about them or not. Family roots run deep, and when adopted children grow up, they should be allowed to get in touch with these roots if they choose."

A child's birth family is not erased or replaced when the child is adopted. And, according to the report referenced in this opinion letter, changes in a child's birth information - and lack of access to the original information - raises "significant civil rights concerns and potentially serious, negative consequences for their physical and mental health."

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Labels: adoption rights, adoptive_parents, birth_parents

Posted By: Aspen Education Group