adoption

On Wednesday, New York became the 10th state allowing adoptees unrestricted access to their original birth certificates, a change that adopted people are calling monumental in their decades-long fight for the right to their birth records.

In her gut, she thinks she’ll embark on the journey to find her birth mother, but hasn’t made the decision yet.

Starting Jan. 15, adoptees over the age of 18 in New York state will be able to access their birth certificate

"For too many years, adoptees have been wrongly denied access to this information, and I am proud to sign this legislation into law and correct this inequity once and for all."

Adoptee rights advocates are applauding state lawmakers for passing legislation that grants adoptees access to their original birth certificates.

"Why should we be treated any differently than anyone else?" asked Annette O'Connell, spokesperson for the New York Adoptee Rights Coalition.