(Chicago, IL) – Governor Pat Quinn today presented a 73-year-old Illinois adoptee with the first non-certified copy of an original birth certificate made possible under a new law which Quinn signed in late May.
"When I was born in 1937, adoptees' birth records were never sealed," said Joel Chrastka of Berwyn. "But, by the time I was an adult and had learned about my adoption, my original birth certificate had already been retroactively sealed for 100 years."
“I feel like today is a part of history,” Quinn said. “And a very special part of history. This new law is making a difference for families everywhere.”
Quinn presented the birth record to Chrastka at his Chicago office in a private ceremony.
Sponsored by State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), an adult adoptee, and State Senator A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Crest Hill), the legislation, House Bill 5428, won widespread, bipartisan support in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. The new law makes Illinois the seventh—and most populous—state in the U.S. to reverse mid-20th century laws mandating the automatic sealing of adoptees’ original birth certificates.
“Today is the dawning of a new era in adoption in Illinois where we can say that all families, no matter how they were formed, are created equal,” said Feignholtz, a 16-year legislative veteran representing Chicago’s north lakefront. “Today marks the end of the secrecy in which our lives were shrouded for 63 years...and the beginning of greater openness and truth.”
According to Feigenholtz, adopted persons born in Illinois prior to January 1, 1946, may now obtain an unaltered, non-certified copy of their original birth certificate by sending a special request form to the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange accompanied by a $15 fee.
Feigenholtz and other adopted adults over the age of 21, who were born in Illinois after January 1, 1946, will have to wait until November 15, 2011 to begin requesting copies of their original birth certificates.
Chrastka, who was placed with his adoptive parents at birth, learned of his adoption at the age of 43.
"It will mean the end of all the mystery," Chrastka said. "Where it goes from here, I don't know, but at least I will have the answers to all the big questions I've been wondering about for most of my adult life."
A yearlong informational campaign will inform the birth parents of adoptees born after 1/1/1946 that their names will become available to their surrendered children once they reach the age of 21 unless the birth parent specifically requests anonymity through the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange.
Full details on the new law as well as the applicable forms can be found on Feigenholtz’s Web site as well on the Illinois Dept. of Public Health Web site.
Comments
Now maybe he can give one to Obama?
It is truly sad this gentleman was deceived for 43 years of his life and treated like a second-class citizen by the state for 73. I hope Mr. Chrastka finds all the answers he seeks.
Illinois happily adds itself to "the list" of "Adoptee Rights" states, but the Adoptee Rights Community would beg to differ.
The only states still on that list are: Alaska, Kansas, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, and New York. People like to add states like Tennessee and Deleware--and now even Illinois. But the fact is, you are only an "open state" if you allow Adult Adoptees unrestricted access to their own OBCS. Deleware, Tennessee, and Illinois do not do that.
Many states provide access without going through the court systems. Illinois is not unique in that. Many states allow access for certain birth dates. Illinois is not unique there either.
I am glad this man got his OBC, I really, really am. But the law is discriminatory to other adoptees and a burden to tax-payers. They need to open it up all the way and let all adoptees get their birth certificates the same way the nonn-adopted do.
**correction, not New York* I mean to say Maine.
New York actually does have a pending clean access bill, that if passed as-is, would make it to the "open" list, as does the State of Pennsylvania (HB 1978, check out www.adopteerightspa.org).
www.declassifiedadoptee.com
After watching the end of the video, I wonder if she knows that "basic human right" means--it means it belongs to a person without question.
Her law allows an Original Parent to strip an adoptee of their right if they do not want their identity released. It's not a basic human right then--it's a right optional at the preference of another person. She does a lot of talking that doesn't match the bill she drafted.
thank you for this story and educating others about the need for equal access in all states. I hope the other states will give full access as it is a basic human right and this comes from a birth mother.
Zing!
The new law isn't as warm an fuzzy as this article, Gov Quinn or Rep Feigenholz wants you to believe. The law is great if you were born prior to 1946...everyone else has to wait to see if there birth records can be released by the birth parent. Thousands of existing adopted citizens and citizens not even born yet are still held in quarantine because of this law.
The new law makes a great news article for a few citizens but the rest are still segregated against. I've always found it baffling how a state can have laws against incest yet has laws on the books the prohibit citizens from access their birth records.
And lets not forget the response received from staterep12@aol.com in which Sara or one of her friends responded by calling adopted citizens who opposed this law as "ungrateful bastards". Quoted directly from the email reads,
"Would you consider giving Representative Feigenholtz the key to your (delusional) Eutopian world where all ungrateful bastards think it's easy to pass a
bill that makes everyone happy AND CAN ACTUALLY PASS ? Pass a law? what a concept !!"
Rep Feigenholz banked on the fact that legislators and most citizens don't read...
I'm happy for the 73 year old! But Gov. Quinn and Rep. Feignholtz are liars in saying that the new law treats all adoptees equally. Those born prior to 1/1/46 are being treated like those not adopted. The rest of us have strings attached - that is NOT equality. IL is not an open records state. A civil right needs to be restored to all adopted adults and anything less is not acceptable. This new law should never have been put in place and now the mess needs to be turned around.
How is this discriminatory? And Liana, Obama can't get one from them- he would have to stop by Kenya for his! LOL
As an advocate for those touched and separated by the secrecy in an adoption process I believe this is a huge move for the State of Illinois. Most humans have a longing to know who they are and where they come from but more importantly they have the right to know if they so choose.
"Texas" asked how this law is discrimatory. Not all IL adopted adults are being treated equally. A selected category of those born prior to 1/1/46 can request and receive their original birth certificate with no conditions. Others have conditions to comply with. A civil right needs to be restored for all adopted adults, not just some. The Democrats were in control of the House and Senate plus Gov. Quinn is Democrat so Rep. Sara Feigenholtaz, a Democrat could have gone for all adopted adults being treated equally but she did not. Why? Perhaps it is because it might have affected the income for those involved with White Oak Foundation and Midwest Adoption Center.
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