Bill to Open Adoption Records Moving to Indiana Senate

On Wednesday, the Indiana Senate Judiciary committee made a unanimous decision to advance a bill that would potentially allow access to closed adoption records.
Currently, adoptees born in 1994 or later can access their records, but records for adoptions between 1941 and 1993 have remained closed to protect the privacy of birth mothers. If passed, the new bill would give them the choice to allow or deny contact with their children, or allow only a certain degree of contact. The bill would go into effect in 2018.
This is a big step for adoptees involved in closed adoptions, as it could give them access to crucial medical information and their original birth certificates. Birth mothers who want to keep their adoptions closed would also be able to maintain their privacy if they wished. The bill is now moving forward into the full Senate.
Read more:

• “Bill giving equal access to adoption records heading to Indiana Senate”
• “Effort to Open Indiana Adoption Records Gaining Support”
• “Bill to open adoption records passes Indiana Senate committee”