A proposal that went before the Public Health Committee could allow adopted children access to their birth certificate if they are age 21 or older.
Current law bars access to birth records without a court order. Supporters of the bill say accessing a birth certificate should be a basic right for adoptees. They also say it would make it easier for them to get things like family medical histories.
But critics of the bill say it could compromise the anonymity of biological parents. Connecticut adoptees were able to access their birth certificates until 1975, when a law went into effect sealing the records. Currently, Maine, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire all allow adult adoptees to access birth certificates with their parents names on them.
A similar measure made it through the House and Senate in 2006, but was vetoed by then Gov. Jodi Rell.
