Question

Release of adoption information in New Jersey:

Please answer the follwoing:

1.General summary of the state law

2.State definition of non-identifying information

3.State definition of identifying information

4.What information may be released to an adult adopted person

5.What information may be released to a former parent or to an adult former sibling

6.Information about the purpose and scope of the state central adoption registry

7.0How to locate an adoption record 8.If applicable, any pending state legislation on adoption release of information laws or administrative code

Answer 1

1.In the United States, state law refers to the law of each separate U.S state.The fifty American states are separate sovereigns, with their own state constitutions, state governments and state courts. State laws have dramatically diverged in the centuries since independence, to the extent that the United States cannot be regarded as one legal system. So as to the majority of types of law traditionally under state control, but must be regarded as fifty separate systems of tort law, family law, property law, contract law,criminal law and so on.

2.Non- identifying information is defined as

• Date,time and place of birth of the adopted person including the hospital ,city,country and state.
• An account of the health,psychological and genetic history of the person.
• An account of the health, psychological and genetic history of biological parents and siblings.
• Description of the adoptee and the adoptee's birth family including

1. Given first name of adoptee at birth.
2. Age and sex of siblings of adoptee
3. Adoptee's enrollment and performance in school
4. Adoptee's racial,ethnic and religious background
5. General description of birth parents
6. Account of adoptee's past and existing relationships with any individual or facility with whom the adoptee had lived or visited on a regular basis
7. Educational, occupational, professional ,artistic achievement of the birth family

• Circumstances of any court order terminating parental rights of birth parent.
• Length of time between termination of parental rights and child placement
• Statua of termination, voluntary or court ordered.
• Any information necessary to determine child's eligibility for state or federal benefits.

3. Identifying information is defined as

• Name of child before placement in adoption
• Name of each biological parent at the time of termination of parental rights
• Most recent name and address of each biological parent
• Names of biological siblings at the time of termination

4. Release of information to adult adoptee are

• You can obtain your name ,the names of biological siblings at the time of termination and identifying information on both birth parents if birth parents have filed statements of consent to release information in the Central Adoption Registry (CAR)
• You can obtain your name, the names of biological siblings at the time of termination and identifying information on one birth parent if that parent has filed a statement of consent in CAR.
• You can obtain your name, the names of biological siblings at the time of termination and the name of birth parent who is deceased.