Adoptees are asking state lawmakers to change the law on obtaining original birth certificates in South Dakota. When children are adopted, their original birth certificate is sealed and they are given one with their adopted parents’ names. Once the adoptees turn 18, they can petition the court for their original certificate, but judges don’t always agree to release it. Senate Bill 215 sponsor Senator Angie Buhl tells committee members during her testimony that the process to obtain an original birth certificate is intimidating and can easily discourage people. She says current state law keeps personal information away from adoptees.
“I’m not looking to replace my parents by any means, I love them and they raised me and your parents are your parents. But, I am looking to start a family of my own in the next few years and the medical history that was given to me when I was born is now 28 years old. My parents were 26 and 34 when I was born, which would make them 54 and 62 today, and there’s a lot that develops health wise in that time—cancer, heart disease, diabetes, other things with a genetic component—that I have absolutely no way of knowing about. If I don’t have complete medical information on myself, there’s no way my kids can,” Buhl says.
Buhl says the proposed legislation only affects adults. Other supporters of the bill share Buhl’s concern for medical history, as well as the belief that it should be their right as an adult. Opponents of the bill express concern for the confidentiality of the birth parents. The committee deferred the bill to Wednesday for further discussion.