Legislation to give adoptees in New Jersey access to medical history and birth records was advanced Monday by an Assembly panel. The bill would establish a system to allow adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates and family medical history. Under the bill, the birth parents of individuals put forward for adoption in New Jersey would have one year from the enactment of regulations to submit a request to the state registrar for non-disclosure. During this year, adoptees would be able to contact the adoption agency they came from to get non-identifying medical information, including a family medical history, alerting them to any genetic predispositions they may carry for certain types of illnesses. It now heads to the full Assembly for a potential vote.
