Support Open Adoption in NYS - NYSCCC is a member of the NYS Open Records Legislative Collaboration and advocate for changing NYS's laws barring adult adopteee access to their original birth cerificates. When a NYS child, including a child in foster care, is adopted, s/he is forever cut off from legal access to their original birth certificate and any identifying information concerning their birth families, even if adopted by kin. When NYS birth records were closed in 1938, the world of adoption was dramatically different than it is today when we recognize the importance of connections to our biological history. For an excellent summary of the history and arguments in support of adoptee access, see the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute's report, For the Records II and visit Unsealed Initiative for information on proposed NYS legislation to allow adoptees over age 18 access to their original birth certificates.