Adopted Californians cannot access their original birth certificates | Opinion

California has long been a leader in civil rights, but there is one glaring exception: adult adoptees in our state are still denied the right to obtain their own original birth certificates. This injustice affects thousands of Californians who, unlike their non-adopted peers, are blocked from accessing a document that speaks to their identity, their origins and their truth.

Currently, adult adoptees in California receive only an amended birth certificate — one that lists their adoptive parents as if they were their birth parents. The original document, created at birth, is sealed by the state and kept from the very person it’s about. This practice not only erases history; it reinforces shame and secrecy in adoption. It says to adoptees: “You don’t have the same rights as everyone else.”

This isn’t the case everywhere. As of 2025, 15 states have passed laws granting adult adoptees the right to request their unredacted original birth certificates. States like Oregon, New York, Colorado, Alabama, Kansas and Alaska already recognize that adoptees deserve equality when it comes to their records. These states have shown that restoring access doesn’t cause chaos, it brings healing.

California nearly joined them: In 2023, Assembly Bill 1302 offered hope. In 2024, Senate Bill 1274 tried again. Both died before reaching the governor’s desk. Why? Misinformation, fear and an outdated belief that adoptees shouldn’t “stir up the past.”

But this is not about digging up drama. It’s about restoring dignity. Access to an original birth certificate isn’t about reunions, it’s about rights. Whether or not an adoptee ever contacts a birth parent is irrelevant. What matters is that they are allowed to know the truth about their own beginnings.

As the daughter of an adoptee, I watched firsthand how frustrating and painful it was for my father to be treated like his identity must be kept secret from him. I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking for equal treatment.

It’s time for California to stop lagging behind. We should not be a state that preaches equality but denies it to adopted adults. Lawmakers must reintroduce and pass legislation that grants adult adoptees unrestricted access to their original, unaltered birth certificates. No vetoes, no redactions and no hoops.

To California’s elected officials and others who have the power to lead on this issue: We are counting on you to act.

In the end, this is not just an adoptee issue. It’s a human rights issue. Let’s make California the next state to get it right.