JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — For the first time since 1941, Missouri adoptees can get a copy of their original birth certificate simply by requesting it online at the Missouri Bureau of Vital Statistics.
The new access was granted in the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act. On Jan. 2nd at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, Missouri, 21 Missouri adoptees were the first to receive a copy of their original birth certificates under the new law.
Carolyn Pooler, was adopted in Kansas City, Missouri, 74 years ago when she was 8 months old. She still lives in Kansas City and traveled to Jefferson City to be in the first group of adoptees under the new law to receive a copy of her original birth certificate.
"I was thrilled," said Pooler. "It confirmed that I was born at the Willows in Kansas City and it had the name of my biological mother, but I did not know that I was born one-month premature."
Missouri State Rep. Don Phillips is also an adoptee who received his birth certificate on Tuesday. Phillips is the author of the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act and pushed for its passage. Now, Phillips said he has introduced three new bills to help adoptees get access to their adoption records and court documents in county offices in Missouri.
Phillips said 900 Missouri adoptees have applied to get a copy of their original birth certificate which could have the names of their biological parents and help them track down their parents, siblings and important health information.
