Pa's HB 162 & NJ's S873/A1259

Pennsylvania

"State Rep. Kerry A. Benninghoff (R., Centre) introduced HB 162 over the summer to give adoptees who are at least 19 who were born in Pennsylvania access to their original birth record without redactions....The Pennsylvania House passed it, 197-0, in October. It has a hearing before the Senate Committee on Aging and Youth chaired by Sen. Bob Mensch (R., Montgomery) on March 18, and, if approved, it could get a full Senate vote and head to Gov. Corbett's desk by summer" (Bills in Pa., N.J. would open adoption records, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/24/14).

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has a special web page to contact your state senator and object to HB 162: "Because it will violate confidentiality agreements made with birth parents long ago, this legislation is unfair and could dissuade birth parents today from choosing adoption for their babies and opting instead for life-ending choices.  You can also email all four of Bucks County's state senators (i.e., Sen. Greenleaf, Sen. McIlhinney, Sen. Mensch, and Sen. Tomlinson), asking that they oppose HB 162.

New Jersey

"Both supporters and opponents of the measure, (A-1259/S-873), say they support giving more access to medical histories....Opponents of the measure want to allow birth parents to have their names redacted from the adoptees’ birth certificates and to let them provide medical histories through an intermediary, without identifying information"(NJSpotlight, 2/11/14).

New Jersey Catholic Conference Executive Director Patrick R. Brannigan said the conference supports giving full access to medical histories, as well as cultural and social histories, as long as identifying information is not included" (NJSpotlight, 2/11/14).  New Jersey Right to Life has a link for our friends and relatives in the Garden State to object to S873/A1259.

Though these Bills are Obstensibly about Young Adults Gaining Info about their Biological Parents, they do NOT Apply to Young Adults Whose Biological Parents were So-Called Egg Donors or So-Called Sperm Donors!

While the anonymity of so-called egg donors or so-called sperm donors would remain intact, commitments of anonymity made to birth parents who gave children up for adoption would be disregarded.  Those daring to compete with the Author of Life get a free pass!

Kudos to the Pa Catholic Conference for opposing HB 162 and to the New Jersey Catholic Conference for opposing S873/A1259.