Ontario Adoption Information Law Struck Down

September 26, 2007 5:57 AM

A law that went into action September 17th that gave Ontario adoptees the right to their birth information and a full birth certificate has been struck down on the 19th as being in violation of privacy laws.

Ontario adoptees are, again, as before, banned from knowing a detailed medical history of their birth parents, race (unless released by birth parents at birth), and place of adoption (without order, information on how to acquire one is provided below), most still only have a serial number for an official last name at birth, and increased suffering from genetic disorders is de rigueur until they are discovered the hard way.

As a personal note, the old system prior to giving out (still censored) adoption records indirectly prevents emmigration to other countries, which require a full birth certificate (an example being the UK). Many of them understand the plight of Ontario's hidden second class and will accept the censored adoption records with a "small" birth certificate. The adoption records can be acquired through a very secretive process by providing a legitimate need and a request to:

Ministry of Community & Social Services
2 Bloor Street West, 24 th Floor,
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1E9

Request a certified copy of your adoption order. You will receive the necessary forms and will then need to visit a Justice of the Peace, have them sign that you require the information for the reasons given, at which point you can return the forms and send a cheque for $15. Did I mention that in my region (Waterloo Region, population about 500,000) only one person has ever done this (that being me), since the person responsible for handling this request has been there since it was law Adoption Orders be released under proof of need.

While this is nice, it still leads to a second class since the adoption certificate is valid for only a 3 years and must be repurchased after that to remain valid. Although it does replace the full birth certificate, where accepted.

posted by shepd (7 comments total)

I am, however, one of the luckier ones. I managed to use the adoption registry, and after a four year wait, they contacted my birth mother. While she was unwilling to contact me back, she did provide a very detailed medical history. I would still appreciate having a real last birth name, rather than a serial number. If I were a religious man, I would question if this were a mark of the devil. But I'm not.
posted by shepd at 5:58 AM on September 26, 2007

Is it still axegrindfilter if I agree with the poster?
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:14 AM on September 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm with CitrusFreak12... as an Ontario resident, an interesting and controversial topic. As a MeFite, not really the best of the web.

On the upside, adpotees do have a complete copy of their genetic record on them, so in theory the government could make good by prividing free sequencing and genetic counselling to all adoptees. That would leave privacy intact. On the downside, they'd only buy one gene sequencer and the wait time would be 6 months.
posted by GuyZero at 6:28 AM on September 26, 2007

Whether positive or negative, isn't there always an axe to grind? Otherwise, why bother posting? ;-)
posted by shepd at 6:28 AM on September 26, 2007

I can understand wanting to protect the privacy of the birth mother. Still, access to medical records, a birth certificate, etc, should be easy enough to do without compromising the birth mothers privacy.

Otherwise, why bother posting?

Because you found something interesting. At least you kept all your editorializing to the more inside part of the post, so that's cool.
posted by chunking express at 6:33 AM on September 26, 2007

I can see both sides here. On the one hand the idea that the government is keeping information *about*you* secret just plain seems wrong. Not to mention the physical risks involved in not knowing medical histories. And the small, but non-zero, risk of inadvertant reproductive incest and the bad genetic things that entails.

OTOH, giving full information about biological parents to an adopted child is violating the privacy of the parents. And the small, but non-zero, risk of an emotionally unstable adoptee using that information to stalk, or harm biological parents they feel wronged by can't be completely dismissed either.

There doesn't appear to be a perfect solution, and I'd argue that on balance full disclosure seems more beneficial and less harmful than government enforced secrecy.
posted by sotonohito at 6:33 AM on September 26, 2007

Blog entry. A blog entry I more or less agree with. But still a blog entry.
posted by DU at 6:35 AM on September 26, 2007