New State Policy Helps N.J. Adoptees Find Birth Parents

More than 1,000 adoptees may now know who their birth parents are thanks to revamped, decades-old policies in the Garden State.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Department of Health announced that more than 1,000 adult adoptees have received birth records after submitting applications as part of a new law that unsealed the documents and broke a policy that dated back to the 1940s.

The new law - signed by Governor Chris Christie in 2014 - allowed birth parents until Dec. 31 to submit requests to have their personal information such as their names and addresses redacted from birth certificates of any children they placed for adoption.

The state has received about 1,900 adoptee application requests, and 558 birth parents have requested redactions on their records since the new policy began on Jan. 1, officials said.

“We know how meaningful this is for adoptees, some of whom have waited decades to receive this information,” Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett said. “We thank them for their patience throughout this process. As more adoptees submit applications, we will continue processing them in the order they are received.”

According to state officials, there is no deadline for adult adoptees who want to request copies of their original birth certificates. The list of eligible persons who can request copies include adult adoptees, direct descendants, siblings or spouses of adopted persons, adoptive parents, legal guardians or other legal representatives of adopted persons, and state/federal government agencies (for official purposes).

Individuals can apply for birth records by filling out this form. The fee is $25 and $2 for each additional copy.

Learn more about adoptee and birth parent records in New Jersey here.

Photo: Flickr Commons, Spirit-Fire

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