Please Contact the Connecticut Public Health Committee in Support of SB 59

In the next week or so we expect the Connecticut Public Health Committee (PHC) to vote on whether or not SB 59 comes out of committee (Raised Bill SB 59) and what language will appear in that bill.  The PHC has received several recommendations for language for the bill. For example the language proposed by ACCESS CONNECTICUT is legislation that balances the right of adoptees and birth parents as follows:

 Link to ACCESS CONNECTICUT language

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/PHdata/Tmy/2013SB-00059-R000220-Schibbelhute,%20Paul,%20Legislative%20Advisor,%20Access%20CT%20(2)-TMY.PDF

 1.    Will allow all adult adoptees 21 years of age or older born in the state of Connecticut to obtain an uncertified copy of their original birth certificate from the Department of Health Vital Records Office.

2.    Birth parents will be able to file a Contact Preference Form with the Department of Children and Families which will allow them to express their desire for contact with their biological son or daughter.

3.    Birth parents will also be able to file a Health History Form with the Department of Children and Families

 The language proposed by the Department of Children and Families is “prospective”and would do the following:

 Link to DCF Language

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/PHdata/Tmy/2013SB-00059-R000220-Dept.%20of%20Children%20and%20Families-TMY.PDF

 1.    Will deny all adoptees the right to obtain their OBC who were born prior to June 1, 2014 (the proposed effective date of the bill).

2.    Additionally, the first adoptees eligible to receive their OBC per DCF’s  prospective language won’t receive them until 2035

3.    Is essentially no better than the law that presently exists today and will discriminate against those adoptees born before June 1^st 2014.

4.    In 2035, New Hampshire will celebrating the 30th anniversary of issuing original birth certificates to its adult adoptees while Connecticut will be issuing its first OBC's to a chosen few. 

 Link to details for SB 59 including status, sponsors and public testimony provided.

 http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB+59&which_year=2013

Please contact the members of the Connecticut Public Health Committee and ask them to support ACCESS CONNECTICUT’s recommended language for SB 59 that will restore the human right for all adult adoptees born in Connecticut to obtain their OBC.  Indicate that legislation proposed by the Department of Children and Families is discriminatory and unbalanced legislation.

 Here are the members of the PHC with an email list for them below.Sen. Terry B. Gerratana Co-chair

Rep. Susan M. Johnson, Co-chair

Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg Vice Chair

Rep. Philip J. Miller, Vice Chair

Sen. Jason C. Welch Ranking Member

Rep. Prasad Srinivasan Ranking Member

Rep. David Alexander

Rep. David Arconti

Sen. Danté Bartolomeo,

Rep. Whit Betts

Rep. Michelle L. Cook,

Rep. Theresa W. Conroy,

Rep. Christopher  Davis,

Rep. Mike Demicco,

Rep. DebraLee  Hovey,

Sen. Robert J. Kane,

Rep. Themis Klarides,

Rep. James Maroney,

Sen. Anthony J. Musto,

Rep. Jason Perillo,

Rep. Emmett D. Riley,

Rep. Kevin Ryan,

Rep. Peggy Sayers,

Rep. David A. Scribner,

Rep. Peter A. Tercyak,

Rep. Patricia M Widlitz,

Rep. Melissa H. Ziobron,

Rep. David Zoni,

Full committee email list

terry.gerratana@cga.ct.gov,

Susan.Johnson@cga.ct.gov,

gayle.slossberg@cga.ct.gov,

Philip.Miller@cga.ct.gov,

Jason.Welch@cga.ct.gov,

prasad.srinivasan@housegop.ct.gov,

David.Alexander@cga.ct.gov,

David.Arconti@cga.ct.gov,

Dante.Bartolomeo@cga.ct.gov,

whit.betts@housegop.ct.gov,

Michelle.Cook@cga.ct.gov,

Theresa.Conroy@cga.ct.gov,

christopher.davis@housegop.ct.gov,

Mike.Demicco@cga.ct.gov,

DebraLee.Hovey@housegop.ct.gov,

Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov,

Themis.Klarides@housegop.ct.gov,

James.Maroney@cga.ct.gov,

anthony.musto@cga.ct.gov,

jason.perillo@housegop.ct.gov,

Emmett.Riley@cga.ct.gov,

Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov,

Peggy.Sayers@cga.ct.gov,

David.Scribner@housegop.ct.gov,

Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov,

Patricia.Widlitz@cga.ct.gov,

Melissa.Ziobron@housegop.ct.gov,

David.Zoni@cga.ct.gov,

Email List by Senators

terry.gerratana@cga.ct.gov,

gayle.slossberg@cga.ct.gov,

Jason.Welch@cga.ct.gov,

Dante.Bartolomeo@cga.ct.gov,

Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov,

anthony.musto@cga.ct.gov,

Email List by Representatives

Susan.Johnson@cga.ct.gov,

Philip.Miller@cga.ct.gov,

prasad.srinivasan@housegop.ct.gov,

David.Alexander@cga.ct.gov,

David.Arconti@cga.ct.gov,

whit.betts@housegop.ct.gov,

Michelle.Cook@cga.ct.gov,

Theresa.Conroy@cga.ct.gov,

christopher.davis@housegop.ct.gov,

Mike.Demicco@cga.ct.gov,

DebraLee.Hovey@housegop.ct.gov,

Themis.Klarides@housegop.ct.gov,

James.Maroney@cga.ct.gov,

jason.perillo@housegop.ct.gov,

Emmett.Riley@cga.ct.gov,

Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov,

Peggy.Sayers@cga.ct.gov,

David.Scribner@housegop.ct.gov,

Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov,

Patricia.Widlitz@cga.ct.gov,

Melissa.Ziobron@housegop.ct.gov,

David.Zoni@cga.ct.gov,

 Some support bullets for consideration:

·      Adoptees have been searching for their birth families in Connecticut and across the country for decades.  At this time there is no mechanism in place for birth parents to let their biological child know if they want to be contacted or not. With the contact preference option in SB 59 there will be a mechanism for birthparents to express their desire for contact with their adult adopted child where one does not exist today.

·      In NH only 12 of 25,000 birth mothers have indicated they did not want contact.   

·      No reports of any lawsuits, negative impact or consequences to adoption in those states that have restored the right for adoptee to obtain their OBC’s

·      Report of the Catholic Dioceses or their representatives in those states that have passed access to OBC legislation all indicate that there have been no negative consequences to adoption after passing legislation for adoptees to obtain their OBC. 

·      The assumption that abortions will rise and adoptions will fall is absolutely false. In states that allow adoptees to access their birth certificates, the abortion rate is generally lower than the national average, while adoption rates are higher.   

·      Reunion Registries do not work and have a terrible success rate.  Since 1978 when Maine created its reunion registry only 65 people have been reunited.  In January 2005 the first week New Hampshire began to issuing original birth certificates 149 adoptees receive information about their birth family.  More people received information in one week in New Hampshire about the birth families then in 33 years in Maine through the reunion Registry.

“Access to original birth certificates is a human rights issue, reunion registries are for people who want to be reunited”

·         Results from a survey performed by the Center for Survey Research & Analysis at the University of Connecticut indicate that more than four in five Connecticut residents (85%) and 82% of Connecticut’s registered voters would support a law that would allow adult adopted children to obtain copies of their original birth certificate.