New England Adoptee Rights

04/16/2022

“This is a basic human right, to know how you are connected to the world, to know what blood pumps through your veins. It’s not trivial or incidental. It’s fundamental.” --- Ellie Lane, Vermont adoptee and advocate

"It’s not trivial or incidental. It’s fundamental." —Ellie Lane, Vermont Adoptee Rights spokesperson

04/09/2022

Vermont’s unrestricted equal rights bill passed the full Senate on April 8 on a 27-0 vote. It now returns to the House for final consideration, including whether the House agrees to provisions added during the Senate process.

Vermont's unrestricted equal rights bill passed the full Senate on April 8 on a 27-0 vote. Here's what's next.

03/18/2022

VERMONT! Unrestricted equal rights bill passes the Vermont House and moves to a Senate committee hearing next week. Looking strong!

03/15/2022

After a final hearing on March 9, 2022, the Vermont House Judiciary Committee moved forward with new language for House Bill 629 (H.629) that gives adopted Vermonters unrestricted rights to their original birth certificates.

The bill is headed to the House for a vote, and will move on to the Senate from there if passed.

H.629 moves forward with new language that gives adopted Vermonters unrestricted rights to their original birth certificates.

03/12/2022

“Vermont has a long history of advocating for equal rights for all people. We — the Vermont Adoptee Rights Working Group and the New England Adoptee Rights Coalition — are asking Vermont to grant adopted Vermonters the same rights as nonadopted Vermonters. Vermont should join its New England neighbors — and a growing number of states around the country — in restoring all adopted people’s basic human rights.”

Vermont is one of the last New England states to retain an antiquated law requiring adopted people to get a state-issued ‘permission slip’ to obtain their own vital records.

02/20/2022

“Barring any testimony that’s just going to blow me out of the water, I’m certainly supporting opening up access to these birth certificates.” —Rep. Thomas Burditt, House Judiciary Committee Vice Chair

Here are where things currently stand in Vermont with H.629, as well as what to look for in the coming weeks!

Here are where things stand with Vermont's H.629, as well as what to look for in the coming weeks.

02/20/2022

Results will be shared with VT legislators as they consider H.629.

Please fill this survey out and share it!

Impacted by adoption?

Please share your thoughts about adopted Vermonters having access to their original birth certificates and identifying information at adulthood.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RYVK5CK

The Vermont Legislature is currently considering a bill, H.629, that would change the current rules for people who were adopted in Vermont. The proposal would expand access for adopted people to identifying information about their birth/first/biological parents and to their original birth certificate upon reaching adulthood.

Under current law, adopted people who have reached adulthood can have access to identifying information and a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate only under certain circumstances.

People adopted before July 1, 1986 have access only if their birth/first/biological parent has explicitly consented to them having it. People who were adopted on or after July 1, 1986 can have access if their birth/first/biological parent has simply not objected.

The proposed law would apply the same rules to all adopted adults, regardless of when they were adopted.

The proposal would not expand access to the public, only to the adopted person, or if deceased, a descendent of the adopted person. The proposal would not expand the kinds of information that can be released to an adopted person upon request but would change the circumstances when the information can be released.

We will share a summary of survey responses with Vermont policymakers.


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02/18/2022

Great article from the Bennington Banner!

“For Rebecca Dragon and other adoptees, the key need in updating Vermont adoption law is to lift restrictions on access to birth records -- thereby placing adoptees on the same level as other citizens.”

MONTPELIER — For Rebecca Dragon and other adoptees, the key need in updating Vermont adoption law is to lift restrictions on access to birth records -- thereby placing adoptees on

02/16/2022

What a remarkable week for adoptee rights in Vermont! Last week, the Vermont State House Judiciary Committee started discussions on H.629, a bill that removes date-based restrictions that prevent some adopted people in the state from obtaining their original birth certificates, but would still allow birth parents to block release with a disclosure veto. Today, the committee heard powerful testimony from four adoptees—and it made a big impact. Watch their full testimonies here ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️