New Jersey

Parents Face Deadline to Shield New Jersey Adoptions

Some 244 parents have requested anonymity in the Garden State

New Jersey is joining 19 other states that allow adults who were adopted access to their birth certificates, something that previously was available only by court order.

The birth parents of as many as 300,000 children who were given up for adoption in New Jersey face a Saturday deadline to decide whether to remove their names from their child's original birth certificate in order to maintain privacy.

Access was restricted to shield birth parents and the children during times when there was a stigma to unwed and unwanted pregnancies and the possibility of blackmail.

Some 244 parents have requested anonymity, while 734 adoptees have asked for their birth certificates as of Dec. 19, Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner said.

Birth parents who have their names redacted can reverse that decision at any time and make their identities known.

"I'm trying to maintain my privacy," one birth mother told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she filed forms with the state to keep her information private. "I'm not looking to be contacted."

Now in her mid-60s and living out of state, she said she was a 20-year-old student when she put her baby up for adoption. She did not know the identity of the father. Only her mother and her husband know about the adoption.

"I made the best choice at the time," she said. "I can't change history and have moved on with my life."

Privacy was one of the arguments opponents made during the 34-year struggle to keep birth records closed without a court order.

"All of our Catholic agencies, in years past, always promised, usually the birth mother, confidentiality. That was the law," said New Jersey Catholic Conference executive director Patrick Brannigan.

"We always supported reunions of the birth parent and child by mutual consent, and usually we were quite good at facilitating those reunions," said Brannigan.

Gary Brozowsky, 51, of Sparta, is cautiously optimistic he'll get to meet his birth mother. "One thing I'd probably like to do is say thank you," he said.

The New Jersey Coalition for Adoption Reform & Education pressed to open the records, saying adults should know the truth of their origins, spokeswoman Pam Hasegawa said. That includes access to updated family medical information. [[405044415, C]]

Birth parents can decide to be contacted directly or through an intermediary such as adoption agency. In order for the contact preference form to be accepted, birth parents must also submit a completed family history form, which includes medical, cultural and social history information.

Brozowsky is hoping to learn whether there are medical issues. "It's something I've thought about in the last 10 years, plus I have kids of my own," he said.

As of Dec. 19, 199 parents had supplied medical histories.

The New Jersey Catholic Conference is worried birth parents may have moved out of the state and are not aware of the law. It is spreading the word through the churches and has established a number for birth parents to call.

The state has reached out to national adoption agencies in nearly two dozen states and sent email blasts to more than 1,000 community organizations, hospitals and health clinics, Leusner said.

Birth parents of children adopted on or after Aug. 1, 2015, cannot seek to have their identifying information redacted.

The American Adoption Congress said New Jersey's law was another step toward giving adoptees access to their original birth certificates.

"As much as we'd like to see unrestricted access, New Jersey is pushing the needle forward," Erica Babino, legislative director said.

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Kansas and Maine offer access without restrictions, the group said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us