Isnt access to original birth information a modern experiment?
No. Known identities in adoption date back to antiquity. Secrecy has been the failed experiment. The intent of closing records to the public was to keep adoptive families and birth parents from public scrutiny in an era when being an unwed mother, an infertile couple, or an illegitimate child was shameful in American society. The practice of sealing birth records is now widely recognized to be outdated and does not reflect the Information Age or best practices in adoption. Adopted persons, adoptive parents and birth parents are vehemently protesting a social experiment that was unsuccessful and serves to promote secrecy and shame.
