Why Should Adoption Records Be Open to 18-Year-Olds?
When records for adoption are discussed, it can often become heated, as people are very protective of their history as well as the choice to adopt or to put a baby up for adoption. While it seems simple that if the parties are willing, children and parents should be able to find one another, in most states that option lies entirely on the side of the parents who gave the child for adoption.
Other People Are Reading
-
Medical History
-
One of the main reasons for allowing people of age to know their biological parents is medical history. Without access to the biology of their past they are susceptible to diseases that have been known to run in families, their doctors cannot treat them properly or decide the best course of care without a complete and accurate assessment. Heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer all have links to family history. There are educated choices the adoptee should be allowed to make. Of course, some states will release these records without releasing the identity of the biological parents, but that information could have changed since the time of the adoption. People learn more about their medical history with each passing year as some diseases do not develop until later in life.
Issues of Unknown Incest
-
Without knowing her biology, someone could become involved with a person who is actually related. This is obviously a dangerous situation for offspring of the couple. While it is unlikely that an adopted child would find someone close enough in relation to cause a problem, with the scattered nature of families, it is possible. This becomes particularly relevant at age 18 because of the ability of the adoptees to marry.
-
Psychological Benefits
-
The psychological benefits of knowing personal history are more important to some than others. Different people handle being adopted differently. Some people find themselves feeling as though they are in a vacuum with no attachment to their history. There are many children who suffer from this “rootless” feeling. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to psychology, so children who feel this need should have the right to seek out the parents. While young children might not be able to handle the truth of their past, when someone reaches the age of 18 they arguably have the maturity level to make this decision for themselves.
Addiction Issues
-
A history of addiction is also something that could be determined through knowing about biological links. While addictions can be overcome and are not entirely genetically linked, there are examples of alcoholism and drug addiction running in families. A person might choose a different lifestyle if she knows their true family history. Again, this becomes relevant as 18-year-olds are rapidly approaching the legal age to drink.
Civil Rights
-
Civil rights have been brought forth as another reason adoptees should be allowed to have birth parent records. Essentially, the question at hand is whether people should have information about their own biology. Some have compared it to a person's being unable to get a copy of his own criminal record or credit report. Fundamentally, it is the adoptee's information. People could be missing out on opportunities for minority scholarships, Indian claims or any other specialty program allowed particular nationalities they might not know they are a part of. While this is an across the board right, until a person is 18 she does not have a full scale of civil rights as she is deemed a minor.
-
