Oregon to allow first mothers easier access to child's adoption records

Governor John Kitzhaber

Mothers of children they relinquished for adoption will have an easier time learning their lost child's new name and the names of his adoptive parents in Oregon after January of next year, representing a sea change in attitudes toward birth mothers. This law, signed by Gov. John Kitzhaber earlier this month, requires a judge to allow access to much of the court records of their children's adoptions unless there's a good reason not to. This is a switch from current law, where judges deny access unless they find a compelling reason for it. This will be the first time in the country where the legal presumption favors a birth mother's access to the information, rather than deny it.