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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Adopted Citizens Denied Access To Their Birth Certificates: A Little-Known Civil Rights Issue, Mirah Riben
Adopted Citizens Denied Access To Their Birth Certificates: A Little-Known Civil Rights Issue, Mirah Riben
Mirah Riben
American citizens who were adopted are denied the right to access their own original birth certificates (OBC) in most U.S. states, a right available to all other non-adopted citizens. State regulations denying unrestricted access to one’s own birth certificate that apply only to a segment of the population create a lifelong inequality and violate the civil rights of adopted persons. Outdated state regulations that maintain this discrimination need to be repealed.
American Adoption Access Laws Are And Policies Are Upside Down And Backwards, Mirah Riben
American Adoption Access Laws Are And Policies Are Upside Down And Backwards, Mirah Riben
Mirah Riben
Adoption seals original birth certificates not just from the public, but from the parties named therein. The author argues against the claim that there is any need to continue these antiquated laws to "prtoect" mothers' anonymity.
"Open Records" Versus "Equal Access": Reframing Our Issues, Mirah Riben
"Open Records" Versus "Equal Access": Reframing Our Issues, Mirah Riben
Mirah Riben
Adoption reform activists have for decades used the phrase "open records". Riben argues that "Equal Access" rightly reframes the argument as one of equality rather than a special request.