There is momentum in Albany to change New York State's adoption laws. As of now, birth certificates of adoptees are sealed. But a law with bi-partisan support could change that, bringing New York in line with other states. The bill could pass as early as this coming January, when lawmakers return to session. Zack Fink filed this report.
Jeffrey Togman, 48, was adopted at birth and recently embarked on a journey to find his biological parents.
His efforts were chronicled in a self-made documentary titled, "We're Not Blood."
"After the birth of my children I decided to try and find my biological parents. Partly for medical reasons and also for emotional reasons—to know where I came from," Togman says.
Togman's efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, but a bill in Albany would change that. For the first time New York State would allow adoptees to see their birth certificates which are currently sealed.
"One thing that I discovered is many people, many adoptees eventually want to find their birth parents. And almost all birth mothers want to be reunited. Many countries have opened the records," Togman says.
The debate over adoption records in Albany is not your usual Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other. It has sponsors in both the Democratic Assembly, and the Republican-led Senate.
The history of sealed records in New York State goes back to Governor Herbert Lehman. Lehman signed a bill sealing all adoptee birth certificates after questions were raised about his own three adopted children.
The current bill opening records passed the Assembly, but not the Senate this past year. Although the latest version is not what advocates want.
"At the last minute, the bill was amended in such a way that it would acyually harm adoptee rights, and make it even more difficult in some ways for adoptees to get their birth certificates," Togman says.
David Weprin is the Assembly sponsor.
"It's different. I don't know about fundamentally. I would prefer the original bill. I think it's a human right. Everyone should have access to their own original birth certificate. It shouldn't be restricted. It shouldn't be redacted. But the legislative process is a compromise process," Weprin says.
Nationwide, it's really a patchwork of laws on this. While Kansas and Alaska never restricted access to birth records in the first place, 15 other states have adopted some form of access including Connecticut, which began just this past year.