On January 15, 2020, New York became the 10th state to grant adopted adults unrestricted access to their original pre-adoption birth certificates. This represents a significant shift from past practice, which heavily protected the birth parents’ desire for privacy, and only made such information accessible to the adopted individual if a court determined it was appropriate, which was not often the case.
With this new development, adopted individuals wishing to locate their biological parents and other family members, should have an easier time of it. Whether that contact is welcomed by their biological relatives, is another matter.