Open records for birth parents and adoptees are a step closer to becoming a reality in New Brunswick.
A bill was introduced in the Legislature this week that will open adoption records.
Moncton Northwest MLA Ernie Steeves views this as a victory, because he first introduced a bill in 2015. It was turned down, with the amendment, that it would be something the provincial government would continue to work on. Two years later, Steeves says, it is finally going through, “I’ve had a lot of conversations with people, and in many of the conversations, tears were shed, because they are so frustrated and they are passionate about knowing who they are. So this is a great thing.”
Minister for Families and Children Stephen Horsman brought the bill forth this week, and stated that the government will be moving forward with opening adoption records, allowing adopted adults to access their ancestry information and even meet each other, if both parties wish.
Proposed legislative changes will open adoption records for birth parents and adult adopteeshttps://t.co/pmru7AZX3K
— Government of NB (@Gov_NB) February 8, 2017
Steeves says he is lucky, “Using the lyrics from the Who, and Who Are You? I know who I am, and I can trace the Steeves line back hundreds of years. My birth certificate has my name on it. These people don’t, they don’t know who they are. Some of them are aging, and they want to know. They can find out their birth parents, medical history, and is there a sibling out there? Do they have a brother or sister? These are things that people have taken for granted, have totally denied to these people.”
The bill still has to go through second and third reading, but Steeves is very optimistic.
There’s no exact date set yet for that to happen, but Steeves expects it will be in the next couple of weeks.
