Is an OBC supposed to be about the individual or about who the legal parents are?

Question

Seems to me the current design of an OBC is more about identifying who the legal parents are rather than identifying the individual being born.

Way back when, when adoption was shameful and secret, amended BC's were designed to "pretend" adoption never happened.

Don't you think it's time to insist that amended birth certificates indicate as such keeping the original information intact?

Perhaps that is where reform should start.

Just a though and I hope this makes sense.

Answer 1

About the Person the Certificate is about---meaning the Person who was born....  Once you are as old as I am who my legal parent is doesn't have any effect in my life at all....and I don't need the certificate to provide info about who my parents are....

***ETA: Well, except that if I need someone to shut off life support and don't have a spouse--but, then I can always appoint a person I choose by writing my Living Will or Directives and Frankly, when I was single my Living Will and Directives did NOT list my parents....

Answer 2

A Birth Certificate is supposed to document the true and accurate facts of the individual who was born

You're right about the pretending the adoption never happened by amending an adoptee's Birth Certificate with false and inaccurate information

Those of us working for change know all too well that the stigma and shame of the olden days lives on to this day

Thanks for asking such a great question.   Things need to change to ensure that all citizens have access to their true and accurate record of birth, even (gasp) adoptees!

Answer 3

I agree with you.  We do use our kids' birth certificates to prove we're the parents, but they are such sham documents.

People's birth certificates should list the parents they were born to, the town they were born in, etc. It should be a factual record of birth.

I don't understand why they can't leave it alone but add a section at the bottom for further information including date of adoption, adoptive parents' names & where they were born, and jurisdiction the adoption was finalized in.

Answer 4

The purpose of a birth certificate is to record the factual events surrounding the birth.

If something on it truly is unknown, such as the father's address, it should be left blank.  

Now, I'm sure there are birth certificates out there that are purposely falsified by parents.  For example, a woman cheats on her boyfriend and pretty much knows her boyfriend isn't the father, but puts him on as father anyway.  He doesn't question it because he doesn't suspect the affair.

However, everything that is known should be factually recorded on a birth certificate.  It shouldn't be about anything other that recording the facts surrounding the birth.

Anything amended can be placed on an attachment of amendments.

Answer 5

Great question!

I never thought of it before like that.  That should really put things into perspective for all those opposed to open records.  I can't add anymore i think everyone before me covered all the major points.

Answer 6

I think birth certificates should have always have had the original information on them, after all they are legal documents that are meant to signify an event - which is why the first words on them read “certificate of live birth.” The fact that these are modified seems to defeat the entire purpose of the birth certificate, doesn’t it? I mean, the whole point of even having a record of an event is to be able to document what actually happened.

So, yeah, it does seem that the amended birth certificates are more about identifying legal parents than being a legal record of the individual’s birth. I think that’s a great place for reform to start.