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Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition

Working to restore the rights of all adopted persons to their OBCs

End the Secrecy of Our Own Births

Texas-born adopted people have no right to obtain the most basic document about them: their own birth certificate. The Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition advocates to change that.

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REPORT ON TEXAS ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATES

We are committed to restoring a right of all Texans: a right to obtain a copy of your own original birth certificate, without government restrictions, conditions, or alterations.

– Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition

Texas law prohibits hundreds of thousands of Texans from knowing the truth of their own births. Why? Because they were adopted.

A Timeline

  • 1850

    First Adoption Law

    Shortly after becoming a state, Texas enacts a law in 1850 that provides for the adoption of “legal heirs.” The law relates primarily to inheritance rights of adoptees. Adoptions are treated and filed in the same manner as deed transfers for property.

  • 1907

    Updated Adoption Law

    Additional provisions for Texas adoption law are added but court involvement is not required other than to terminate an adoptive parent’s custody if the parent is deemed abusive. The new law in part also prohibits transracial adoptions.

  • 1957

    Sealing of OBCs After Adoption

    Texas seals the original birth certificate upon issuance of the supplementary certificate after an adoption, making the OBC available only by court order.

  • 1973

    Central Records File

    Establishment of the Central Records File, initially managed by the Department of Public Welfare, not by the Bureau of Vital Statistics.

  • 2005

    TxCARE Advocacy

    A new law successfully enacted on account of the work of Texas Coalition for Reform and Education (TxCARE) allows adult adoptees who know the identity of birthparents to obtain a noncertified copy of their OBC upon request and without restriction.

  • Bill: HB984

    2015 Session

    Texas State House Representative Joe DesHotel (D) introduces HB984, which passes the House on a 138-1-1 vote. Senator Brandon Creighton (R) carries the bill in the Senate, where the it is reported favorably from the State Affairs committee. The bill does not get a vote by the full Senate. It had 46 co-authors.

  • Bill: SB329

    2017 Session

    Senator Brandon Creighton (R) introduces SB329, which is reported favorably out of the State Affairs Committee, with eleven co-authors. It moves to the Senate floor but is not scheduled for a full Senate vote before the end of the session.

  • 2018

    Coalition Formed

    Local and and national organizations join together to form the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition.

  • Bill: HB2725

    2019 Session

    Texas State Representative Gina Calanni introduces HB2725. It would restore the right of an adult adoptee to obtain a copy of his or her own original birth certificate upon request, without discriminatory restrictions.

  • Bill: HB1386

    2021 Session

    Texas State Representative Cody Harris introduces HB1386. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passes the bill on a vote of 144-1-5. The Senate bill does not advance before the session ends.

  • 2023

    Coalition Work Continues

    TXARC continues to work for a bill in the 2023 session that would finally restore a right all Texans once had: the right to a copy of your own birth certificate, without government restrictions or intrusion.