New Jersey

Obtaining an Original Birth Certificate:
An adoptee must petition the court in which the adoption was finalized to receive.

I feel it must be stressed that a court order to unseal one's adoption records will not result in receiving a CERTIFIED copy of the original birth certificate.

I just wasted a year (and some money) to get a court order in NJ to release my records, and when I requested a CERTIFIED copy of my original birth certificate, I was denied that and issued only an informational copy which cannot be used for legal purposes. The sole reason I petitioned the court was to get a CERTIFIED copy (I need it for purposes of dual citizenship), so you can imagine my shock when the folks at Vital Statistics in NJ informed me this was impossible unless I re-petitioned the court to overturn completely the adoption, a time-consuming and costly procedure not to mention emotionally distressful.

So if for any reason you need your original birth certificate to be CERTIFIED, do not waste your time or money simply requesting that the adoption records be unsealed!

Posted by: JJOC1414 at 07/28/2009 01:42 PM

I am a student who became involved with this issue by doing research on a class project. While in highschool, I had a very good friend who was adopted and was raised by a wonderful family. She had a great childhood, but was always plagued by the question of "who am I and where did I come from?" She was interested in some of the basic issues such as why did my mother give me up, but more importantly, what nationality am I, what religious affiliation did I have, what could I have inherited both externally and medically from my parents? She always spoke about never feeling complete, as if a part of her was missing.
I come from a dysfunctional family, but at least I know what characteristics have been passed on to me from my parents. When I sit in a doctor's office, I am able to fill out my medical history. I recently underwent treatment for breast cancer, knowing that my mother and grandmother both had this disease. I was able to catch it early, since I was sent for screening early on due to my history.
If my birth certificate belongs to me and not my mother, then why should it not be the same for all people.
I understand the extenuating circumstances that some mothers may have faced in putting their child up for adoption, but that was their decision, not the child's. Why should the child be seperate from the rest of society because of something they had nothing to do with?
Hopefully this issue can be decided where both sides can come to some agreement as to whose rights are being stepped on, the adoptee or the birth mother.

Posted by: sthomps1 at 09/19/2007 02:59 PM