Are you an adoptee born in Massachusetts?

[JamesBianco]

Do any of you know of an adoptee born in Massachusetts?

December 5th, our Deval Patrick (Governor of Massachusetts) signed into state law an amendment allowing full access to your original birth certificate. I happened upon this via a genealogy website I follow. I am an adoptee, and was born in Massachusetts. I found my natural parents on my own when I was 20
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Never the less I will be writing for a copy of my original birth record as soon as I get home from work tonight. I never thought I would see the day this would happen, so... spread the word.
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Here is an official link to Chapter 109 of The Acts of 2007
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Here is a link to the page you will need to read/download to obtain the records:
Obtaining your original Massachusetts Birth Certificate (un-certified)
(under the word Documents, center of the Page)

[JJOC1414]

James, you were lucky to be born in such a progressive state as MA. I myself an an adoptee born in NJ and naturally, as you were, I was blocked at every attempt to obtain my original birth record. Now it looks like NJ may follow MA as the next state to allow full access. The bill has recently passed in the Senate and it is now back to the Assembly to be studied by some committee.

However, I've decided not to wait. I've read that NJ has been at this fork before and that previous bills have gone by the wayside, so I don't want to take any chances. I have recently undertaken legal action to have my records opened. Besides the usual reasons given for opening the records, I have added my desire for dual citizenship through jure sanguinis through my maternal grandfather, who emigrated to the US in 1907. I have church records that document my lineage, but I lack the civil birth records (my own and my mother's) and civil marriage certificate. I should add that I aready live in Italy and have documented proof of that, which is also included in my legal Complaint.

Is anybody familiar with legal efforts to open original birth records that cite jure sanguinis as one of the reasons?

I just noticed that your post was from Dec 2007. How did you make out obtaining your records?

[JamesBianco]

Hey JJ, just this year I decided to write for my original birth record. It's a little bit of a pain but well worth it. You have to print off a special form from the website, fill everything out, attach a photocopy of your license or passport and then sign the paper in front of a Notary who will sign and notarize it.

Then send in $28 and in a week you get your original record. It is marked "for informational purposes only" or something like that and is not a certified copy. Massachusetts does not offer a certified copy because essentially that old record is now amended and no longer valid.

Are you aware that an adoptee can legally obtain Juris Sanguinis Italian Citizenship via his adopted parents? Italy recognizes the child as if it were natural born. It might make it easier for you if you want to go that route (and can). I am going to apply within the next year via my adopted father's line.

I am exited NJ is possibly going to follow suit!

Keep us posted!

[JJOC1414]

James, sounds good. I'm glad you were finally able to get the original record, certified or not.

Yes, I was aware that jure sanguinis could be applied to adopted parents as well. In my case, though, it doesn't apply because my adopting parents were not of Italian descent, only my birth mother.

I really lucked out with the dates. My birth mother was born only 11 months before her father naturalized, this despite his getting his first papers four years earlier, and I was born 24 months after the key date for mothers being able to pass on citizenship (1/1/1948).

Yes, I'm excited about NJ too. I hope it passes this time.