Nearly 1,000 Adoptees Seek Original Birth Certificates

By Greg LaRose, Louisiana Illuminator

April 11, 2023

16:28
Brief

• Govt + Politics
• Legislative

In A Flash
Nearly 1,000 adoptees seek original birth certificates

By: Greg LaRose - April 11, 2023 4:28 pm

Since a new law took effect in August, the Louisiana Vital Records Registry has processed nearly 1,000 requests for original birth certificates from adults who were adopted as children. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

Since a new Louisiana law took effect in August that gives adopted people access to their original birth certificates, a state official said his agency has received almost 1,000 requests for copies.

Devin George, the state’s Vital Records registrar, shared an update Tuesday with members of the state House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure. Out of 994 requests from adoptees, 972 have been processed and 22 more are pending, he said.

The turnaround time on requests is less than two weeks, George said, marking a notable improvement since his agency was swamped with applications soon after the law took effect.

Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, who was adopted himself, authored the proposal that reversed a 1977 law that sealed nearly all adoption records in Louisiana. The only avenue to unseal them was through court, a process that proved lengthy and costly.

The popularity of genealogical tracking, through websites such as 23andMe.com and Ancestry.com, has shattered many of the barriers to identifying birth parents.

However, there were opponents of Owen’s bill, namely adoption agencies with a financial interest in preserving the status quo and anti-abortion groups. The chief concern among abortion foes was that granting access to birth certificates might discourage pregnant people from giving up their children for adoption.

Part of Owen’s law allows birth parents to submit a form that indicates their preference on being contacted by an adopted child. According to George, nine out of the 12 contact preference forms submitted so far include contact information for adoptees to reach their birth parents.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

SUBSCRIBE

Republish

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Greg LaRose

Greg LaRose has covered news for more than 30 years in Louisiana. Before coming to the Louisiana Illuminator, he was the chief investigative reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. He previously led the government and politics team for The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com, and was editor in chief at New Orleans CityBusiness. Greg's other career stops include Tiger Rag, South Baton Rouge Journal, the Covington News Banner, Louisiana Radio Network and multiple radio stations.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

Related News
New law prompts 600-plus requests for pre-adoption birth… by Wesley Muller December 6, 2022 Misogyny is fueling the country’s gun violence epidemic,… by Anna Gustafson July 19, 2022 Can adoption replace abortion? Experts say it’s a lot more… by Cecilia Lenzen August 12, 2022

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.