LOUISIANA

DENIES UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO OBC (Court order required)

 

Who May Access Information

Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1126; 1270

The voluntary adoption registry may be used by:

•The adopted person who is at least age 18

•The birth mother and birth father

•The parents or siblings of a deceased birth parent

•An adoptive parent of a minor or deceased adopted person

•The birth siblings who are age 18 or older

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Non-identifying information shall be provided to:

•The adoptive parents

•The adopted person who is age 18 or older

•The birth parents

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Access to Original Birth Certificate

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 40:73

The original birth certificate is available:

•Upon court order to the adopted person, or if deceased, the adopted person’s descendants, or the adoptive parent

•To the agency that was a party to the adoption upon court order after a showing of compelling reasons

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Access to Non-identifying Information

Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1126; 1127; 1127.1

The agency or person to whom a surrender is made shall have the duty to make a good faith effort to obtain the Statement of Family History required by Articles 1124 and 1125, to deliver it to prospective adoptive parents upon placement, and to make it available, upon request, to the adopted person at age 18 or older. If the Statement of Family History is subsequently transferred to another agency or person, the new custodian of the information assumes responsibility to the adopted person.

Any adopted person (or his or her legal representative if the adopted person is still a minor) or a birth parent, may, upon written request, obtain non-identifying medical or genetic information without the necessity of filing a motion for disclosure. Upon such a request, the agency or person shall make a good faith effort to review and abstract non-identifying genetic or medical information from all available records and sources that are similar in content to the Statement of Family History.

After adoptive placement of the child, the agency or person to whom a surrender is made shall have a continuing duty to maintain these records and supplement them if additional non-identifying medical or genetic information is received about the adopted child or a birth parent. Upon such a request, the agency or person shall disclose such information. In fulfilling this continuing duty, the agency or person is authorized to contact the adopted person, adoptive parents, and birth parents to provide updated non-identifying medical and genetic information or to facilitate the exchange of information between the parties.

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Mutual Access to Identifying Information

Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1270

The Office of Community Services of the Department of Social Services shall maintain a voluntary registry for the matching of adopted persons and birth parents or siblings, or both. The purpose of this registry shall be to facilitate voluntary contact between the adopted person and the birth parents, siblings, or both.

The use of the registry shall be limited to the adopted person who is at least age 18, the birth mother, the birth father, parents or siblings of a deceased birth parent, an adoptive parent of a minor or deceased adopted person, and any birth sibling who is at least age 18. No registration by an adopted person shall be permitted until all birth siblings who were adopted by the same adoptive parents have reached age 18.

The registry shall not release any information from adoption records in violation of the privacy or confidentiality rights of a birth parent who has not authorized the release of any information.

The registry shall confirm for an adopted person the fact of his or her adoption and identify the court in which the adoption was finalized and the agency, firm, or lawyer facilitating the adoption when that information is known by the department. To receive this information, the adopted person shall be age 18 or older, submit the request in writing, and provide proof of identity.

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Where the Information Can Be Located

Louisiana Voluntary Adoption Registry, Department of Children and Family Services

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