Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, and prime sponsor of S-873, legislation that would provide adoptees in New Jersey with their family medical history and birth records, released the following statement today in response to the Senate approving recommendations made by the Governor:
“I am proud of the work the sponsors have done to negotiate a compromise with Governor Christie that will allow New Jersey adoptees to know a part of themselves that has been kept sealed for far too long. For most of us, where you came from, your family history and ethnicity is simply a part of you core identity, something that you take for granted in everyday life. But for someone who has been adopted, cultural and social history as well as important family medical history is unknown. With approval of this legislation, those records will soon be available. When they are, birth parents and adoptees, who have long held out hope that they will one day know their true identify and the identities of their family members, will be able to reconnect.”
The Senate concurred with the Governor’s recommendations on S-873 with a vote of 29-5. The bill now heads to the Assembly for further action.
