MASSACHUSETTS BLACKLISTS ADOPTED ADULT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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MASSACHUSETTS BLACKLISTS ADOPTED ADULTS

If the legislature has its way, some Massachusetts adoptees may soon find
themselves on a state-established blacklist that bars them from accessing their
own original birth certificates because of the date of their birth. Other
adoptees, however, born, during the "correct" timeframes will be allowed access.

Blacklist Bills SB 63 and SB 77, passed unanimously on March 21, by the
Massachusetts Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Disabled Persons create
two categories of adoptees. Adoptees born on or before July 14, 1974 and on or
after January 1, 2008 will be allowed unconditional access to their original
birth certificates now sealed by the state. Adoptees born between those dates,
will continue to be governed by current Massachusetts adoption law and forced to get a court order to get their own birth certificates. If
they’re lucky.

Adoptees and their families should look their legislators in the eye and ask the
very important question: what makes one adoptee worthy and another one not? And
tell them SB 63 and SB 77 are not acceptable--for anybody.

SB 63 and SB 77 turn back the clock. While other states, including neighboring
New Hampshire, move forward to restore the right of all adopted persons to
access their own birth certificates and other state-held records about
themselves, Massachusetts lawmakers have decided to toss thousands of the
state's adoptees in a 34 year black hole. These politicians claim that the state
needs to "honor" promises it allegedly made to women who relinquished between
the black hole dates (including the rest of this year!) that their names would
not be revealed to their offspring. These "implied promises" have been debunked
by legal scholars, activists, natural mothers, and the documents themselves
which offer no promises implied or otherwise.

Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization is the largest adoptee rights
group
in North America. We advocate for unconditional access to original birth
documents for ALL ADOPTED ADULTS. Bastard Nation vigorously opposes SB 63 and AB
77. We are outraged by the discriminatory actions of the Joint Committee.

Bastard Nation leaves no adoptees behind. Neither should Massachusetts.