Pennsylvania Searching Resources

and is there a list somewhere of states that do have them? Thank you in advance, Crysti :D

Thank you so much for putting it so clearly! Everywhere else I've looked, including the Pennsylvania state website had dead links and useless information!!! thank you so much for making it so c

You're welcome...I quit including website links and email contacts in most of my state searching resources because most of these were outdated and no longer usable. The name, address and phone number of agency offices seems to be the best resource when searching. California Search Website: Other great websites to check out: [url]http://www.adoptionchat.com[/url] [url]http://www.adoption.com[/url] [url]http://www.adopting.org[/url] [url]http://registry.adoption.com/[/url]

My question is I have found my birth mother, do I have the right to everything in my file with her consent or is it just basic information?

I am not sure if I am doing this right or not, never really been in forums, but here goes nothing. My husband is in desperate search of his brother that his mother gave up for adoption in either 1972 or 1973. We do not have much info to go on. We know he was born in July at Lancaster General Hospital, or at least we are pretty sure he was. And we know he was biracial. We do not know much else but my husband really wants to find him. Is there any information or suggestions anyone can give me to go about this?? I keep hitting brick walls so to speak. Thanks for reading. Katie

Philadelphia Family Courts directed me to this website. I'm going to try it out, and post results if there are any. Hope it helps someone [url=http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?a=168&q=202177]Health: Adoption Registry Information[/url]

To elaborate on this post.. you can go [URL="http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/adoption_registries/14123/biological_parent_consent_registry/608971"]HERE[/URL] to access the Biological Parent Consent Registry. You can submit a request (it costs only $10) to see if either of your biological parents have submitted identifying information. You can mail in the form and it takes about 3 or 4 weeks on average to find out. I have been looking on and off since I was 18 (so over 10 years now) and have NEVER been told about this. I am kind of upset because I have called the Office of Vital Records before (they are the ones who handle this request) and never been told about it. Better late than never, I guess. Good luck to all of you!

The updated information I have been told is this: Search and Reunion For many adoptees, finding ones biological roots is important for medical or personal reasons. Many birth parents are increasingly interested in meeting or having some contact with the individual they placed for adoption. The process of making these connections is commonly referred to as ғsearch and reunion. Individuals adopted in Pennsylvania have several ways to find out about their biological heritage or to reunite with their birth parents. If you were born and adopted in Pennsylvania: Contact the Division of Vital Records by calling 1-877-PAHEALTH to obtain the form used to determine if your birth parent(s) have filed a consent form granting permission to release their name and address. If no consent is on file, you will be directed to the County Court of Common Pleas that finalized your adoption. Visit the Department of Health's Web site for more information and to print the form. If you know the County court, you can contact the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange to obtain the address of the court that handled your adoption. Petition the court that handled your adoption to request: Non-identifying information such as race, marital status and age of birth parents. This information will not divulge your birth parents' identity or address; A search for your birth parents to seek their permission to release information about their identity or to facilitate contact; or A determination whether a death certificate is on file with the Division of Vital Records for either of your birth parents. If so, the Court will provide you with the name of your deceased birth parent(s). Contact the agency that handled your adoption to request non-identifying information. You may also ask the agency to conduct a search to obtain the consent of your birth parents to release identifying information or to facilitate contact. If you are a birth parent of a child born in Pennsylvania: Obtain a Biological Parent Identification Registration form from the Division of Vital Records. Send the completed form back to their Birth Parent Registry. Visit their Web site for more information. File the consent form with the court that handled your childԒs adoption if you know the adoption was finalized in Pennsylvania. You may request the court information from the Division of Vital Records. File the consent form with the Pennsylvania adoption agency that handled your childs adoption. If you were adopted in Pennsylvania but born elsewhere: Petition the court that finalized your adoption to request: Non-identifying information such as race, marital status and age of the birth parents. This information will not divulge your birth parents' identity or address; or A search for your birth parents to seek their permission to release information about their identity or to facilitate contact. Contact the Pennsylvania adoption agency that handled your adoption to request non-identifying information. You may also ask the agency to conduct a search to obtain the consent of your birth parents to release identifying information or to facilitate contact. Neither the court nor an adoption agency is required under PennsylvaniaҒs adoption law to conduct or arrange a search for the birth parents of an individual adopted in Pennsylvania. Not all adoptees are interested in reuniting with their birth parents. They may, however, want information about their birth parents family medical history. A birth parent may wish to retain their privacy but be willing to share medical history information. Pennsylvania established an Adoption Medical History Registry in 1997 for just that purpose. For more information about the registry, visit Medical History Registry. Search and Reunion For many adoptees, finding oneҒs biological roots is important for medical or personal reasons. Many birth parents are increasingly interested in meeting or having some contact with the individual they placed for adoption. The process of making these connections is commonly referred to as search and reunion.Ӕ Individuals adopted in Pennsylvania have several ways to find out about their biological heritage or to reunite with their birth parents. If you were born and adopted in Pennsylvania: Contact the Division of Vital Records by calling 1-877-PAHEALTH to obtain the form used to determine if your birth parent(s) have filed a consent form granting permission to release their name and address. If no consent is on file, you will be directed to the County Court of Common Pleas that finalized your adoption. Visit the Department of Health's Web site for more information and to print the form. If you know the County court, you can contact the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange to obtain the address of the court that handled your adoption. Petition the court that handled your adoption to request: Non-identifying information such as race, marital status and age of birth parents. This information will not divulge your birth parents' identity or address; A search for your birth parents to seek their permission to release information about their identity or to facilitate contact; or A determination whether a death certificate is on file with the Division of Vital Records for either of your birth parents. If so, the Court will provide you with the name of your deceased birth parent(s). Contact the agency that handled your adoption to request non-identifying information. You may also ask the agency to conduct a search to obtain the consent of your birth parents to release identifying information or to facilitate contact. If you are a birth parent of a child born in Pennsylvania: Obtain a Biological Parent Identification Registration form from the Division of Vital Records. Send the completed form back to their Birth Parent Registry. Visit their Web site for more information. File the consent form with the court that handled your childs adoption if you know the adoption was finalized in Pennsylvania. You may request the court information from the Division of Vital Records. File the consent form with the Pennsylvania adoption agency that handled your childҒs adoption. If you were adopted in Pennsylvania but born elsewhere: Petition the court that finalized your adoption to request: Non-identifying information such as race, marital status and age of the birth parents. This information will not divulge your birth parents' identity or address; or A search for your birth parents to seek their permission to release information about their identity or to facilitate contact. Contact the Pennsylvania adoption agency that handled your adoption to request non-identifying information. You may also ask the agency to conduct a search to obtain the consent of your birth parents to release identifying information or to facilitate contact. Neither the court nor an adoption agency is required under Pennsylvanias adoption law to conduct or arrange a search for the birth parents of an individual adopted in Pennsylvania. Not all adoptees are interested in reuniting with their birth parents. They may, however, want information about their birth parentsҒ family medical history. A birth parent may wish to retain their privacy but be willing to share medical history information. Pennsylvania established an Adoption Medical History Registry in 1997 for just that purpose. For more information about the registry, visit Medical History Registry.