OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A bill passing unanimously in the Washington state House would allow adult adoptees access to their birth certificates unless a biological parent has filed an affidavit to the contrary.
The bill would place Washington among a handful of states, including Oregon, that allow adult adoptees to access their birth certificates.
The measure would also allow adoptees unconstrained access to non-identifying information about their birth parents, which could shed light on adoptees’ medical histories.
Adoptees born in Washington state after October 1, 1993 have long had these rights. The bill applies to those born before that date.
