The Vast Majority of Birth Mothers Want Contact

“For statistical evidence of birth mother’s preferences, access proponents rely on a variety of types of data. With respect to New Jersey searches on behalf of adoptees, the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services reported that 95% of the birth parents it contacted agree to some form of contact.” (emphasis added)

Letter from Delores Helb, Adoption Registry Coordinator, State of N.J., Dep’t. of Human Servs., Div of Youth and Family Servs., to N.J. Senator Joseph F. Vitale (December 13, 2004) (on file with the author).  Surrender and Subordination: Birth Mothers and Adoption Law Reform, Elizbeth J. Samuels, University of Baltimore School of Law, Michigan Journal of Law and Gender, p.

“According to the testimony of a New Jersey-based private investigator, in his experience reuniting 1,700 birth mothers and the children they surrendered, only 2% “of those mothers did not want to be found.” (emphasis added)

An Act Concerning Adoptees: Hearing on A. 3237 Before the A. Comm. On Family, Women & Children’s Servs. Comm., 211th Leg., 2d Ann. Sess. (N.J. 2005) (statement of James (Joe) Collins) Surrender and Subordination: Birth Mothers and Adoption Law Reform, Elizbeth J. Samuels, University of Baltimore School of Law, Michigan Journal of Law and Gender, p.

“A study published In the UK in 2005 found that 93% of birth mothers who have had contact with their children with either “pleased” or “very pleased” and only 1% of birth mothers were “not pleased.” (emphasis added)

John Triseliotis et al., The Adoption Triangle Revisited: A Study of adoption, search and reunion experiences 124 (2005)

In Oregon, Maine and New Hampshire (which restored access in 2000, 2005, and 2009, respectively), the combined percentage of birth parents who requested no contact on their Contract Preference Form was less than 1%.(0.14)

“Reform Access Success”, report by the American Adoption Congress

“The number of birthparents filing no-contact preference forms in all of the four states granting unconditional access constituted 1 percent or less of the total OBCs released……Some may question whether the small number of contact vetos of non-contact preference forms is the result of the lack of birthparent knowledge about this provision in the law, or perhaps even a lack of knowledge that the law exists. This seems unlikely to have been the case at least in Oregon, however, since the change was on the ballet and received extensive, prolonged attention in the state’s media.” (emphasis added)

For The Records II: An Examination of the History and Impact Of Adult Adoptee Access to Original Birth Certificates, Policy & Practice Perspective, July 2010, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. p. 29