It is often hard to accumulate information about closed adoptions. It seems that you have to make several attempts and most of them should be in person and in writing.

Closed adoptions served their purpose years ago. But most of us feel that adopted children have the right to know what their personal birth history was.
More information needs to be given on family medical history. This is a very important part of who they are.

When illness forces adoptive parents to seek information. It is a very difficult issue when the files are sealed and no one is willing to penetrate the birth parents privacy to help find out more medical history. Which is very valuable to the child who is ill.

This is one reason why Open Adoption is widely supported by many America families today. It allows for important information to be readily available to all parties and it allows the birth parents to have as much or as little contact with the child as they wish to seek.

So, where do we look first for information when birth records are sealed. A petition must be sent to the court in which the adoption was made. Then the judge will usually hold a hearing to establish the facts and reasons for the request of information.

In many cases the files are kept sealed and you will walk away with little answers to the questions you were seeking results on.

However, there are times when a social worker may be able to go into the file at the request of the court and accumulate information on health issues if the information is in fact present and on record.

In all cases it is worth looking into. Little can be done by telephone or e-mail. But those are two resourceful ways to begin your search. Seeking birth records from hospitals and from State hall of records is also a good place to start.

Once a birth name is available you can even search the phone records for address and names of people who may still be living in the area. Visiting the birth location and mingling with the people is another way of finding out what the history is of the family and if there are still living relatives.

By far the best way to request any information from any facility or agency is to do it in writing. Include the information you already know. Make the letter as brief as possible and as exact to what information you are searching for.

Most of the time you will receive a response if you make a request in writing. Biological History is a gift in this century where we have the right to know.
Good Luck In Your Search.