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Committee advances SB 381 to give adult adoptees access to original birth certificates amid privacy debate
Summary
The Senate Health Committee advanced SB 381 to allow adult adoptees (18+) to request original birth certificates and create a contact-preference form; supporters cited health and identity benefits, while some senators urged more protections and clarified implementation steps before full release.
The Senate Health Committee voted to advance SB 381, a bill that would permit adult adoptees to request their original birth certificates (OBCs) and require the state registrar to make a contact-preference form available in advance of full implementation.
The bill's author told the committee she accepted suggested amendments and described the measure as narrow: it would authorize disclosure of an OBC to an adopted person or a descendant who is 18 or older, establish a process to request an OBC from the county or state registrar, and require the state registrar to create a nonbinding contact-preference form for birth parents.
Wendy Turk, sponsor and executive of the California Alliance for Adoptee Rights, testified about discovering her adoption late in life and said the lack of access to an OBC can have serious health consequences. "We deserve the piece of paper that shows not only our birth parents' names, but the name we were given at birth," Turk said. She and other witnesses said access to an OBC can offer less intrusive paths to identity and reduce reliance on public genetic databases.
Witnesses and many public commenters — including birth parents and adoptees — urged passage. Susan Duchaget Alexander, introduced as a birth mother and therapist who has worked with adopted youth and families, said many birth parents want their children to know they are safe and supported.
Several senators raised privacy and implementation concerns. Members asked whether the bill would require notice to decades-old relinquishing parents, whether a contact-preference form would be available before release, whether medical information could be captured without revealing identity, and whether the law would create retroactive harms for people who expected confidentiality. Committee discussion clarified that the state registrar would publicize the availability of the contact-preference form and that the bill's sponsors expect an implementation timeline (committee testimony referenced a July 2028 effective window to allow publicity and form completion).
Senators who expressed reservations urged continued work to strengthen protections for birth parents, point to the form's nonbinding status, or recommend additional amendments to balance adoptee access with birth-parent privacy and safety. "We must take their potential concerns, their well-being into account as well," said one senator during the exchange.
The committee recorded the motion as 'do pass as amended' and announced the committee vote for SB 381 as 7 to 0 on the record; the measure was referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for fiscal review and further consideration.
Next steps: SB 381 will be considered by the Appropriations Committee, where members signaled they expect further negotiation over notification, the content and implementation of the contact-preference form, fiscal costs for publicity and administration, and safeguards for birth parents.
