GIANT STEP BACKWARD IN ADOPTION REFORM FOR ILLINOIS

Our state representatives have been busy and zipped HB 5428 through the House and now it is in the Senate. We MUST stop this bill from becoming law. The 80-page nightmare of regulation not only keeps the state registry and CI program intact but treats adopted adults as if they were toddlers.

Let's face it adopted adults are allowed to vote and they fight in wars but when it comes to a civil right being restored to them, forget it. We need legislation where ALL adopted adults are treated equally. We can not allow a bill to become law that allows birth parents to have a say in whether their son or daughter can have their original birth certificate.

The bill allows birth parents to file anonymity with the state registry. An OBC-Access Public Information Campaign Oversight Committee will be appointed for a year-long nationwide campaign to inform the public in earnest about the conditions under which an adult adopted or surrendered person may receive a non-certified copy of his or her OBC. I guess it does not matter that Illinois has a severe deficit so is making budget cuts that affect the needy and elderly. They can find money for this type of legislation that is so unnecessary?

The state registry and confidential intermediary program would remain intact. Of course it is benefiting Midwest Adoption Center and should be a conflict of interest if they had any part in writing this bill.

Identifying information pertaining to a birth parent who filed a denial will be redacted. OBC's were signed by attending doctors and notorized. So now it would be legal to alter what was a legal document? I wonder how many notaries approve of this. Would this be a precedent in IL that all notorized documents can be later changed?

PLEASE contact your senators and stop this bill from becoming law. Don't sit back and think that your neighbor will take care of it. We need everyone to contact their senators and not just those personally touched by adoption. See Illinois Open's Web site for how to contact your senators. There is a link on the first page too on how to learn who your senator is - just type in your address at the Web site that you will find a link to.