Committee advances bill letting adult adoptees request original birth records without court petition

Representative Ward, sponsor of HB 129, told the committee the bill would simplify access for adult adoptees to obtain their original birth certificates without the current requirement to show "good cause" in court.

"The first reason we should do that is it belongs to them," Representative Ward said, arguing that an original birth record is an adult adoptee's personal record and that access helps with medical history and personal identity.

Ward described a recent Utah Supreme Court case that remanded a lower-court denial back to district court because the judge had not adequately balanced an adoptee's interest against a birth parent's privacy. The sponsor said the bill would remove the need for repeated litigation by allowing adult adoptees to request their original birth certificates directly.

Committee members debated the balance between birth-parent privacy and adoptees' interest. Representative Grant Miller asked about the policy rationale for the status quo; Ward replied historical stigma and prior practices motivated sealed records. Representative Ocasio and others raised concerns about unintended contact and the potential impact on birth parents and their families; Ward and supporters said birth parents can still refuse contact but an adult's claim to their own record should be recognized.

Multiple public witnesses and organizations supported the bill. David Pedrazos, the attorney in the Supreme Court case Ward referenced, said the statute already emphasizes the adoptee's best interest and described his 45-year-old client seeking medical information. Melinda Fitt, a birth mother who relinquished a child in 1993, said she supports the bill and called sealed records "a myth" in the age of DNA databases. Martin Munoz (Voices for Utah Children) and other advocates urged committee approval.

Representative Acton moved to favorably recommend HB 129; the committee approved the bill and then took a roll-call vote. The chair announced the motion passed 8 to 1, with Representative Ochsier voting no. The committee advanced the bill to the House for further consideration.

The hearing record shows substantial public testimony in support and a committee discussion that sought to weigh adoptee autonomy against birth-parent privacy and possible family impacts. Several legislators said they were open to technical tweaks as the bill proceeds to the floor.