Can you request a copy of adoption contract if you were 16 when you became a birthmother?

Question

Can you request a copy of adoption contract if you were 16 when you became a birthmother?

Answer 1

Yes, you can from the original adoption agency.  Be aware that they may charge you to get the records out of archival storage.

Answer 2

You can request anything you want.... getting it is another story.

The adoption was finalized and sealed years ago, and all the attending documents are sealed as well.

Answer 3

No.. you cannot get an adoption contract becasue there is no such thing as an adoption contract. They can't call them contract becasue underaged parents cannot legally sign a contract. It is  an adoption consent form or a relinquishment statement or something esle along those lines.. never a contract.

Adoption is the only leaglly binding consent that this goverenmet allows underaged people to take part in..and the industy likes that so it will never be a contract. Plus it is much easier to prove in a court of law when an actual contract is signed under duress or emotional coersion.. so again, if they don;t call it a contract, then the same laws do not apply.

Now, can you get your surrender papers if you were 16. Maybe..it will depend on your state. The original birth certificate of your child will be sealed from you and most likely from them as well, but in many states you have the right to have anything that has your signature on it.

The trick is finding out exactly what the law is in the state you relinquished in and what standards the agecies have to go by now. See the link below on how I got mine from Massachusettes and if you need some help finding out the laws feel free to contact me.

You shouldn't ask.. you need to demand them.

Answer 4

Depends on the state....in my state, you become emancipated when you have a baby, even if you don't keep it (basically an adult)

Answer 5

You are entitled to have a copy of anything you signed and don't take no for an answer

Good luck getting what should have been issued to you at the time, let us know how it goes ok

Answer 6

You can, but I doubt you'll get it. It doesn't have anything to do with your age when you gave birth or signed the documents. Adoption records are sealed. I was naive enough to think that I could get a copy of the legal document that I signed before a judge in a court of law 24 years ago - no go. I wanted a copy of the termination of parental rights document that would only have my name and the name of my son's father on it. The name of my son, the name of the adoptive parents would not have been on that document, but it doesn't matter, it's still sealed, I'm still not allowed to get a copy.

I was told that I could petition the court to get a copy, but if adopted people can't get original birth certificates even when they are faced with a grave illness, I doubt that any judge is going to think that piecing my life together is a good enough reason to release that document to me.

You can still give it a go, you never know when you'll run into a court clerk who might somehow slip up and send you something. Depending on the state the records are either with the Family Court or Surrogate's Court - look them up on the web for the county that you surrendered in.

Were you told at the time of surrender that the adoption records would be sealed; that your son or daughter would be given an amended birth certificate; that they would not be given access to the original birth certificate with your name on it? (Some states don't seal the original b/c, but most do.)

Good luck!