The Indiana Senate approved a bill in a 43-5 vote that would allow adoptees access to currently sealed birth records. The proposed bill will now move on to the House.
If the new legislature is passed, it will affect adoptions taking place between 1941 and 1993. Currently, adoption records within this time frame are sealed, which means that adoptees cannot obtain potentially crucial information.
Those in opposition to the bill state that opening the records would infringe on the privacy of the birth mothers. Under the new bill, birth mothers would be able to indicate whether or not they were open to communicating or exchanging information.
The new bill will go into effect in 2018 if passed.
References:
- “Indiana Senate passes bill to open adoption records“ – IndyStar
- “Senate passes adoptee birth-records bill“ – The Indiana Lawyer
- “Senate OKs plan to open old adoption records“ – The Times of Northwest Indiana
