WHY won't Ontario open our adoption records?? Well, for one, they're afraid we're going to abuse the fact that we now have two sets of names and commit fraud!! For another, they're trying to hide behind the so-called "Privacy Act" and convince everyone that every natural parent signed an agreement pertaining to this. This is wrong on SO many levels! One, RARELY did a natural parent sign ANYTHING to that affect, and B. for those who did, most were FORCED to by either their parents or the adoption agency! So then check out this next fact...
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The Approximately 250,000 adoption orders have been filed in Ontario since 1921!! The Almost 75,000 people have registered with Ontario's voluntary Adoption Disclosure Register since 1979, searching for information about their birth relatives The Ontario Ombudsman received nearly 28,000 complaints regarding the ADR in 2002!! There are over 300,000 adopted Ontarians Adopted people without access to their medical histories are at risk of inheriting up to 3000 diseases - diseases such as cancer, heart disease and many more! Sealed records can and do kill people. 75% of Canadians support Open Adoption Records! In Canada, over the past fifteen years, British Columbia, Nunavut, Newfoundland and the Yukon Territories all have open records!! In British Columbia, adoptee records have been open since 1996!! In Yukon Territories, adoptee records have been open since 2000!! Other countries such as Israel, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, Argentina, France, and some Australian states have open records, too!! In Scotland, adoptee records have been open since 1930!! France, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Norway and Israel have NEVER closed their records!! In England adoptee records have been open since 1975!! In Scotland, adoptee records have been open since 1930!! In the States, Kansas, Alaska, Tennessee, Oregon and Alabama have open records!! Records weren't even sealed at the relinquishment of the child, which is what would have happened if the natural parent wanted privacy and did, in fact, sign an agreement pertaining to that. The records are sealed upon finalization of the adoption by the adoptive family! So if this is the case, wouldn't a letter by the adoptive parents be sufficient to access your adoption records?? It SHOULD be, but it's not... just another bunch of red tape the government puts out for us to trip all over. I guess they're hoping we'll strangle ourselves and not bother them again.
