Even though law states must be 21 years, can we search before then legally??

You can search now!! :) The age is 18. I started searching then but couldn't afford it at the time (yep, there are lots of fees). Write a letter to: Children's Services (615) 741-9699, 436 Sixth Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37243 and state what information that you have and that you want to see the adoption files. You'll hear back from them and be put on a waiting list (9-12 months). Then you'll have 6 weeks to pay $150 to view the files and another $135 for the state to contact your son. This can take forever! I paid my fees in May 2004 and am still waiting to hear from the state if I can contact my birthfamily. If you know all of the adoption information, you should definitely skip all of this and go straight to looking for him. Good luck with your search. Hope you get to reunite with your son! :) Wish my ** was looking for me. Your son is very lucky! Good luck! Dana

I am an adoptee from TN, and although we can get NON IDENTIFYING info at 18, full records, including names cannot be released until we are 21. I do know that you can go on and put a note in the file (marking on the contact veto that your birth son can contact you when he accesses his files) so that the state dept. sont have to do a search before he can contact you. That would expedite things once he has access to his files. When he is 21 you can also get his present name and last known address, but I am almost positive that you cant get that info before the adoptee is 21. It IS illegal to search through a private detective or something, but posting on sites like this in case he is searching also is permitted I believe. I wish I could access my files now, but I only have another year and a half! Good luck with your search Jenna

Thanks Jenna for the info.... I did not know that it was illegal to search through a private detective or anything before he was 21. I had talked with a search company just last week asking if it was possible to search prior to my son being 21 years...they gave me a quote to go ahead & do the search. Of course, their quote was unfortunately, way out of my price range. I hope you have good luck in finding what you are looking for. I too have got a wait, as my son will not be 21 until next March.

That is sad a young man or woman can go to war at 18 but have to wait till 21 for records. That is bull i will say it over and over till we american's stand up for our rights we will have none. Vote the bums out of office. I have been in a position to see both sides of the elected official. Most are in for the money and the benefits. NOT FOR US WHO VOTED FOR THEM. Write your senator congressmen. Start a pertition. :)

Someone please start a petition going for Tennessee. I'm not good at writing letters or I would (may I can get my husband to write it. . .he's an English teacher). I have a family member that works directly with Governor Bredesen and when it's finished, I'll give it to her (lets just hope she'll give it to him). I totally agree that our rights are minimal. We (adoptees) did not get to choose our path yet we're being the ones punished by having to go through all this crap to find out important information. I can understand making a birth parent wait until the child is 18, afterall they were the ones who gave up their parental rights, but an adoptee had no say and should be given this information, if wanted, when ever they want it and shouldn't have to wait for the state to take their time and locate to see if it's ok if we contact them. Should the petition be sign with our names, DOB and City? Dana

Should you get something written up, I would be more than be happy to sign. Not only that, but I work with a whole lot of people, and I'm sure most of them would be willing to sign also. I just hope that should a law pass allowing adoptees to be able to access all their info, that my son will be one of those in line. Dana, I wish you a lot of luck in getting the info you are wanting.

I'll try my best to get a letter started tonight and will try to post it this weekend. Thanks iangeleyes. :) Good luck with your search. :)

I need to know what to include in the petition from both birth parents and adoptees. I'll post a proof in this thread before posting as it's own. Dana

I know a lot of people may not agree, may feel as a birth parent, we relinqueshed all rights to know anything about our children. However, as a birth parent, my main concern is to just be able to know that my son is alive and well. Of course, I would love to be able to see him, get to know him, if he is willing, but knowing he is alive and well would mean soooo much to me. Giving him up for adoption was not so much my idea, it was more something my parents thought would be best for him, which it probably was, but I wish more than anything that I had him here in my life. But, if now I could just know that he's all right, it would ease a lot of my concerns. As for anything else to include in your petition from the birth parent side, I'm not sure. But I will give it more thought myself and see if I can think of anything.

You Might Have Given Up Some Rights. I Think You Still Have The Right To Know There Ok. You Cared Enough For Them To Give Them A Better Chance At Life At That Given Time. I Also Think They Should Know There Birth Family And There Heritage. For Medical Reasons I Would Open Records When They Turn Eighteen. Some Where Given Up Because Of Age Of Parents Or Income.we Don't Think About The Outcome When Young. We All Make Mistakes In Life. God Forgives Those Mistakes. Society Should Too. I Adopted My Wifes Son From Previous Marriage. I Can Make One Call And Be In Contact To Find His Dad. Not All Have That Choice. Lets Change The Laws. We Vote To Put Them In The Senate/congress. We Can Take Them Out Too.