Latest Update:
Our latest update on HB162: the Senate Aging and Youth Committee proposed amendments for HB 162 and voted on its passage from committee on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. A disclosure veto was amended to the bill before being voted from the Senate committee to the full Senate where the bill awaits a vote (new bill text).
Please refer to PAR's recent statement for our position on the amended language of the bill.
PAR looks forward to continuing to work with Representative Benninghoff and the Senate to amend the bill with acceptable language that does not discriminate against adopted persons while the bill is before the full Senate. We ask our supporters to please contact the members of the Aging and Youth committee to thank them for their consideration on the issue, and to begin contacting the rest of the Senate about HB 162. We ask all supporters to contact Senate members to emphasize that Contact Preference must be amended to HB 162. For some talking points about HB 162 and Maine's Contact Preference refer here.
About Pennsylvania Adoptee Rights:
Please refer to PAR's recent statement for our position on the amended language of the bill.
PAR looks forward to continuing to work with Representative Benninghoff and the Senate to amend the bill with acceptable language that does not discriminate against adopted persons while the bill is before the full Senate. We ask our supporters to please contact the members of the Aging and Youth committee to thank them for their consideration on the issue, and to begin contacting the rest of the Senate about HB 162. We ask all supporters to contact Senate members to emphasize that Contact Preference must be amended to HB 162. For some talking points about HB 162 and Maine's Contact Preference refer here.
About Pennsylvania Adoptee Rights:
We believe those directly affected by adoption policy should be in the forefront of creating, evaluating, and implementing that policy. We believe that adoption policy should be based on the strengths, not the stereotypes or deficits, of the adoption community. Finally, we believe that community experience, human rights frameworks, research, practice, and history should inform every adoption policy made in our commonwealth. PAR is built upon these principles.
Central to these principles is our mission to promote the restoration of the right of Pennsylvania-born adult adoptees to access their original birth certificates the same way as every person who is not adopted.
