How does an adoptee go about requesting access to their adoption file?
The file will be kept confidential except upon court order for good cause shown by order of the judge of the court in which the decree of adoption entered 20-7-1780. The court will weigh the privacy rights of the natural parents against the interests of the adopted child to determine whether or not good cause has been shown. A basic desire of the adoptee to know their identity has been found to be insufficient. Bradley v. Childrens Bureau of South Carolina, 274 SE2d 418 (1981). There must be a compelling reason for such information to be revealed. Gardner v. Baby Edwards, 342 SE2d 601 (1986).
