NJ Adoptees to Have Access to Birth Certificates in 2017

As reported by NJ.com, a bill will be signed into law that will allow adopted residents to access their birth certificate. However, birth parents that want to remain anonymous can still remain so. Birth parents have until December 31, 2016 to notify the Health Department as to whether or not they want to be contacted by their children or if they want their names redacted from the birth certificate. Given this time frame, birth information will not be released until at least 2017.

The bill allows families to be reunited if they so choose but also protects the identities of parents who originally surrendered their children for adoption under the guise of confidentiality.