• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Adopted as an adult in Texas question

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

Legality27

Junior Member
I was legally adopted by a relative whom had been taking care of me (she had guardianship) while I was in high school. I was adopted after I turned 18 while I was in college. I remember signing the papers but I don't have a copy. This relative died several years ago. Is there any way to obtain a copy of the adoption papers? Or to prove that i was legally adopted? I went to the county courthouse (Houston County) where we lived at the time, but I was told that all adoption records are sealed.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
 


Legality27

Junior Member
REALLY? I never saw another birth certificate. My original one (and the one I have been using) is from the state of Iowa. So if I was legally adopted, I should be able to request (and receive) a Texas birth certificate?
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
REALLY? I never saw another birth certificate. My original one (and the one I have been using) is from the state of Iowa. So if I was legally adopted, I should be able to request (and receive) a Texas birth certificate?
Actually, I believe that the Iowa birth certificate is the one that would have been changed to reflect the adoption. At least that is how I have seen it work in the past.
 

Legality27

Junior Member
Okay. So if I have requested and received a copy of my Iowa birth certificate recently and it still reflects my original parents, is it safe to assume that my adoption was never legalized in Texas?
 

justalayman

Senior Member
Your birth certificate should have been reissued to reflect your new parents.
wow. that's amazing that you can change your parents.

While I know it happens, it has got to be the most ridiculous thing ever. A BC is a record of facts at the time of birth. Short of corrections, there is never anything that should ever be changed on a BC because, well, the facts at the time of birth don't change.


Legality27 Okay. So if I have requested and received a copy of my Iowa birth certificate recently and it still reflects my original parents, is it safe to assume that my adoption was never legalized in Texas?
I do not believe all states change the name of the parents on the BC. As I noted above, it really doesn't make any sense to do so.

you will likely have to petition the court in Texas to unseal your records for you to obtain them. My understanding is a judge has the discretion as to whether they open them or not.

Do you know where (which court) the adoption took place through?
 

justalayman

Senior Member
I would contact that court again and ask them how to petition to open the records. Offhand I do not know the process and you may get rebuffed by the court clerk but I would at least ask. If they, or anybody else cannot give you some direction as to the process, you might have to hire an attorney who should know the process.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
wow. that's amazing that you can change your parents.

While I know it happens, it has got to be the most ridiculous thing ever. A BC is a record of facts at the time of birth. Short of corrections, there is never anything that should ever be changed on a BC because, well, the facts at the time of birth don't change.


I do not believe all states change the name of the parents on the BC. As I noted above, it really doesn't make any sense to do so.

you will likely have to petition the court in Texas to unseal your records for you to obtain them. My understanding is a judge has the discretion as to whether they open them or not.

Do you know where (which court) the adoption took place through?
I have never encountered any state that doesn't change the birth certificate when an adoption takes place. Now, if the adopting parent never follows through with changing the BC, then its possible it might not have been changed.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
and I have a problem with that. It does not allow an easy means for a person to track their bloodline. I mean, after all, the birth parents do not and cannot change. It is a simple fact the needs to be left alone.

In Indiana, the true names can remain in several situations:

New certificate of birth
Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the state department of health shall establish a new certificate of birth for an individual born in Indiana upon a receipt of an official report that the individual has been adopted.
(b) The state department of health shall not establish a new certificate of birth following an adoption if:
(1) the court decreeing the adoption;
(2) the adoptive parents; or
(3) the adopted individual;
so requests.
(c) A new certificate of birth established under this section must show the actual place and date of birth.
As added by P.L.1-1997, SEC.11.
haven't checked any others.
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
and I have a problem with that. It does not allow an easy means for a person to track their bloodline. I mean, after all, the birth parents do not and cannot change. It is a simple fact the needs to be left alone.

In Indiana, the true names can remain in several situations:



haven't checked any others.


Remember that even if the birth certificate is reissued with new names, the original record of the birth will remain the same with the original birth parents.

:)
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
and I have a problem with that. It does not allow an easy means for a person to track their bloodline. I mean, after all, the birth parents do not and cannot change. It is a simple fact the needs to be left alone.

In Indiana, the true names can remain in several situations:



haven't checked any others.
Why do you think its so hard for children who are adopted to trace their birth parents? That is simply the way things work.

Notice that in the IN laws you quoted the BC must be changed unless one of three parties requests that it not be, 1) the court, 2) the adoptive parents, 3) the adopted individual. The birth parents are not on that list.

Personally, I don't have an opinion one way or another. Obviously you feel strongly about it but the way that you want things to work is not the way that things normally work.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
QLdiJ;2817960]Why do you think its so hard for children who are adopted to trace their birth parents? That is simply the way things work.
and it's dumb. It's simply a situation where the kids are often deceived until they hear the whispers about "well, you know billy was actually adopted. That's probably where he got his propensity to become a serial murder cannibal from"

no, it's because you hid the fact he was adopted and he flipped out when he found out. That's why he is chewing on the neighbors toes for dinner.

Notice that in the IN laws you quoted the BC must be changed unless one of three parties requests that it not be, 1) the court, 2) the adoptive parents, 3) the adopted individual. The birth parents are not on that list.
it was just a statement that the birth parents are not always removed. Nothing more, nothing less.

Personally, I don't have an opinion one way or another. Obviously you feel strongly about it but the way that you want things to work is not the way that things normally work.
I have no problem with sealing the records from certain people. I believe the child should always be able to have access to their records though. There can be critical health information derived from the BCs. If the states want to issue a BC with true parents redacted or a modified BC where it is known it is due to an adoption and list the adoptive parents, fine but to allow a person to believe they weren't adopted such as happens just isn't right.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top