For starters, what is an OBC, who has them, and why do they matter?
An OBC is an Original Birth Certificate. When a person is born (adopted or not), someone fills out a birth certificate, proof that you were indeed born. Exactly what they look like and their information varies from state to state, and some states have different forms (long or short forms) but the basics are usually the same. It contains your name, your mother’s name, your father’s name, and your birth date. It’s pretty standard stuff.
When a person is adopted, all the names are changed. My name was changed to the name my adoptive parents gave me; my natural mother’s name was replaced with my adoptive mother’s name; and my natural father’s name was replaced with my adoptive father’s name (actually I’m not sure if my natural father’s name was on my OBC). I don’t know what my OBC looks like because I do not have access to it. When my amended birth certificate is issued at the time of my adoption, my OBC was sealed by the judge.
When a non-adoptee wants to get a copy of their OBC, their only birth certificate, they go through a process where they usually have to pay a fee and they get sent a new one. If an adoptee does the same thing, they get a copy of the ABC (amended birth certificate). If they want to get their OBC, this is where your state comes into play.
In only six of the fifty states in the US have open records. That means that in only six states can adoptees request their OBC the same way they can request their ABC. In Massachusetts, which does not have open records, most adoptees have to go to court and prove to a judge that they have a legitimate reason for getting a copy of their OBC. That means that it is up to a person to decide what a legitimate reason is. And that also means that an adoptee has to come up with the money to go to court. I said "most" adoptees in MA have to do this because if you are born on or before July 17, 1974 or after January 1, 2008 you do have access to your OBC. However if you are born between July 18, 1974 and December 31, 2007, you are out of luck (http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2007/Chapter109).
There is more to come on why OBCs matter, and the great OBC debate…
An OBC is an Original Birth Certificate. When a person is born (adopted or not), someone fills out a birth certificate, proof that you were indeed born. Exactly what they look like and their information varies from state to state, and some states have different forms (long or short forms) but the basics are usually the same. It contains your name, your mother’s name, your father’s name, and your birth date. It’s pretty standard stuff.
When a person is adopted, all the names are changed. My name was changed to the name my adoptive parents gave me; my natural mother’s name was replaced with my adoptive mother’s name; and my natural father’s name was replaced with my adoptive father’s name (actually I’m not sure if my natural father’s name was on my OBC). I don’t know what my OBC looks like because I do not have access to it. When my amended birth certificate is issued at the time of my adoption, my OBC was sealed by the judge.
When a non-adoptee wants to get a copy of their OBC, their only birth certificate, they go through a process where they usually have to pay a fee and they get sent a new one. If an adoptee does the same thing, they get a copy of the ABC (amended birth certificate). If they want to get their OBC, this is where your state comes into play.
In only six of the fifty states in the US have open records. That means that in only six states can adoptees request their OBC the same way they can request their ABC. In Massachusetts, which does not have open records, most adoptees have to go to court and prove to a judge that they have a legitimate reason for getting a copy of their OBC. That means that it is up to a person to decide what a legitimate reason is. And that also means that an adoptee has to come up with the money to go to court. I said "most" adoptees in MA have to do this because if you are born on or before July 17, 1974 or after January 1, 2008 you do have access to your OBC. However if you are born between July 18, 1974 and December 31, 2007, you are out of luck (http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2007/Chapter109).
There is more to come on why OBCs matter, and the great OBC debate…
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