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Angeldove60 · Sep 28, 2010, 02:32 PM

I am trying to help my niece. My sister gave her up for adoption and found her when she was 17. My sister died shortly after and my niece never got any information she wanted about her birth. It was a closed adoption and the lawyer will not tell her anything. She just wishes to know the basics, what time she was born, how much she weighed etc. None of this info for given to her adoptive parents. She had turned to me for info on the family, which I am gladly supplying, but some details I just don't have. How do we get this information??

cdad · Sep 28, 2010, 02:46 PM

She could look at her birth certificate. That has the basics on it. The lawyer is correct in safe gaurding the information.

Angeldove60 · Sep 28, 2010, 03:16 PM

The birth certificate that they gave her has none of this info on it.

Synnen · Sep 29, 2010, 05:38 AM

That seems very strange--because the ONLY thing changed on an adoptive birth certificate is the names of the parents.

How old is your niece now?

Did your sister leave any of her medical records behind?

Angeldove60 · Sep 29, 2010, 05:52 AM

Don't see why it is strange, I have my birth certificat right here and it does not give time of birth, weight, etc. Yes, she did, but they will not release the info to my niece, she is almost 30 years old.

Synnen · Sep 29, 2010, 06:01 AM

Of course they won't. That's what a CLOSED adoption means.

I meant--did your sister have her OWN copies of her medical records?

The only way to open closed records is to get a court order for it to happen. The only way it generally DOES happen isn't for curiosity. It's for genuine medical reasons, such as the need to find a bone marrow or kidney match.

If your sister did not have the information her daughter is seeking in her personal papers, then your niece is not likely to get that information.

Angeldove60 · Sep 29, 2010, 06:09 AM

Whatever. I guess I came to the wrong place for advice. Thanks for not helping, but I found what I needed eslewhere. She just called, they are going to open the files. Guess you were ummm, wrong? I hope your negativity works for you.

Synnen · Sep 29, 2010, 08:09 AM

I'd like to know which state this is, and how she's able to get access.

As a birthmother, I try to keep up with adoption law, and I have YET to have heard of a non-life-or-death situation where the sealed records have been opened.

I would love to know the full details of how she got this information, because it's new law if you can just call and get the information off your birth certificate.