I. 2200 adoptees in Oregon
have filed for their birth certificates
A. Some want to know
about their parent's medical history
B. Some people want to know their birth mother for personal reasons
II. An open adoption records
law was passed in 1998
A. Any adoptee over 21
years old who was born in Oregon can apply for a birth certificate
for $15
B. Birth mothers can choose not to be contacted
C. The law was passed by voters instead of lawmakers
D. The law was challenged and did not go into effect
III. The law has been fought
in Court
A. 7 birth mothers said
the law violated their privacy
B. They were promised that their names would be kept secret
C. The Oregon Supreme Court has allowed the law to go into effect
D. The Court decided that the need to know about your birth mother
is more important than the privacy of the birth mothers
