Abstract
Across the country, states have been enacting legislation to provide more information to adoptees about their birth. In 1995, the Ohio legislature passed House Bill 419. The bill will reform Ohio's adoption law, especially in the area of open adoption records. This Note will analyze House Bill 419 amidst the current move toward increased openness and the controversy surrounding this move. First, this Note will examine the history of secrecy in adoption in the United States and in Ohio. Second, it will explain the changes in adoption records enacted by House Bill 419 and the effects of the abortion controversy on this bill. Third, this Note will examine the arguments on behalf of each group in the adoption triad, and it will show that the best approach for each group is increased openness. Last, it will compare the changes to Ohio law with adoption records law in other states. It will use this comparison to propose additional changes to open more birth records to Ohio's adoptees.
Recommended Citation
Note, Ohio House Bill 419: Increased Openness in Adoption Records Law, 45 Clev. St. L. Rev. 101 (1997)