MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Legislature voted to give Adoptee's access to
their birth certificate records.
Lawmakers approved a bill that provides for the release of an adult Adoptee's
sealed original birth certificate if that person requests it in writing and
it has been filed at the Department of Vital Statistics.
The action as the session ended Monday reversed a 1990 vote that had
sealed birth and adoption records as part of a sweeping Alabama Adoption
Code.
Prior to 1991, adult adoptees in Alabama had access to their adoption
records on demand.
Gov. Don Siegelman has promised to sign the measure, which passed
the Senate 26-2 and the House 92-0.
An amendment approved on the final day allows birth parents to file with
the birth certificate medical information and a preference about whether
they ever want to be contacted.