Adopting Open Records

Another round in the debate over open records and adoption kicked off yesterday. The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute came out with a report that says adult adoptees should be able to get their birth records, and information on their birth mothers. Right now in most states, that's not an easy thing to do. While many adoptees try to contact their birth parents for personal and medical reasons, only a handful of states allow adults who were adopted to see their original birth certificates. And there are plenty of people who say that's with good reason. In an unlikely mix of groups, the ACLU, some Catholic organizations, and the National Council for Adoption have all come out against the idea of open records, often for very different reasons. Some cite privacy concerns, and the promise to birth mothers that they would be protected. Others argue that opening records would scare some women away from adoption, and could increase the number of abortions. Whichever side you're on, we want to hear your stories today. If you're adopted, did you access... or try to access... your birth records? Or if you're an adoptive parent or a mother who gave up a child for adoption, what's your experience with this?