Adoptee Access Succeeds in Oregon and New Hampshire

Oregon adoptees, age 21 and older, gained access to a copy of their original birth records in 1998 through a Measure 58, a state referendum that was affirmed by the Oregon Supreme Court in 2000. Birthparents were given an opportunity to file a form indicating their preference regarding contact in a non-binding Contact Preference Form. New Hampshire’s 2004 bill resembles Oregon with the inclusion of the non-binding Contact Preference Form for birthparents to complete.

Facts and Data

1. 10,017 adult adoptees have received their records since May 31, 2000 in Oregon (as of December 18, 2008) and in New Hampshire, since the passage of legislation in 2004, 1176 have gotten their original birth certificate. (As of December 18, 2008)
   
   
2. In both states, birthparents' response to contact has been extremely positive. Oregon had 79 birthparents request no contact in year one, one in year two, and one in year three. New Hampshire has had 11 birthparents request no contact in the first year, one parent request no contact in year two and zero parents request no contact in years three and four.

According to The Oregonian newspaper, there are anywhere from 66,000 to 132,000 adopted persons in Oregon. Assuming that half of the birthparents are deceased, the percentage of Oregon birthparents requesting no contact is less than 0.25%.

Data from Oregon shows:

• Adoption in Oregon has increased since the law went into effect.
  Oregon Department of Human Services reports that the number of independent (attorney assisted) adoptions increased from 208 in 2001 to 221 in 2002 and 2003.

• Abortion in Oregon has not increased since the law went into effect.
  Oregon’s Center for Health Statistics and Vital Records reports that the number of induced performed in Oregon dropped 18.2 percent in the four years since the law was passed. The national decrease in the number of abortions during the same period was 2 percent.

• No violations of contact preference requests have been reported.
  Oregon Department of Human Services Health Division and Oregon State agency personnel indicate they have no knowledge of any violations of a no-contact preference by a birthparent.

(There has not been enough time to gather data on abortion and adoption in New Hampshire since passage of its bill.)