§ 15-7.2-2. Policy. It is the policy of this state that adoption is based upon the legal termination of parental rights and responsibilities of birth parents and the creation of the legal relationship of parents and child between an adoptee and the adoptive parents. These legal and social premises underlying adoption must be maintained. The state recognizes that some adults who are adopted as children have a strong desire to obtain identifying information about their birth parents while other adult adoptees have no such desire. The state further recognizes that some birth parents have a strong desire to obtain identifying information about their biological children who were adopted, while other birth parents have no such desire. The state fully recognizes the right to privacy and confidentiality of birth parents whose children were adopted, the adoptees, and the adoptive parents. The purpose of this chapter is to:

(1) Establish a passive voluntary adoption reunion registry where birth parents, adult adoptees, and surviving relatives of deceased birth parents and deceased adoptees as defined in this chapter may register their willingness of the release of identifying information to each other;

(2) Provide for the disclosure of identifying information to birth parents and their genetic offspring through the court if a birth parent or parents and the adult adoptee are registered;

(3) Provide for the transmission of non-identifying health and social and genetic history of the adult adoptees, birth parents, and other specified persons; and

(4) Provide a mechanism in the court to inform registrants of the functions and procedures of the registry at the time of registration.

History of Section. (P.L. 1993, ch. 388, § 1.)