Okay while we're on OBCs?

Andraya

I have no clue how birth certificates work in the States. Here in Alberta you sign a live birth registration before you leave the hospital but you can wait years to file for a birth certificate. The certificate is just for your own personal records and has nothing to to with the registration of the birth, it can be changed to reflect and adoption whereas the live birth form can not. I guess you could say it is little more than a form of ID.

My own birth certificate has NOTHING on it except my a-parents names, dates and cities of birth, my name, date and city of birth. No height, weight or time. I have always wondered if others born in Alberta in the 70's also have so little info on their BCs.

LaurieDB

So much of this has to do with who prepared the ABC and where. There doesn't seem to be much consistency with ABC's, even ones that come from the same state or even the same county. I can order my ABC from either the state or the county office here in California, so that would yield no clue to an adoptee-in-the-dark who ordered their ABC here.

My ABC has the correct hospital, date, time, Dr.'s signature on it. The names, address and ages of my parents were changed. Also, there is no "mother's signature" on my ABC. Both of my natural siblings were raised by relatives other than our mother or their fathers, but no adoption took place. Their BC's look similar to my ABC, but our mother's signature is on them.

EDIT:
Hmmm. With all of the inconsistencies shown, is it any wonder many adoptees ABC's are suspect when applying for passports, making that task difficult. I've had adopted friends held up trying to come back to the country in years past when using their ABC's because the ABC's look so suspect due to anomalies and late or no file dates.

dory

My amended birth certificate only lists my name, birth date, gender, city & state of birth. It doesn't even list ANY parents names - hahaha - I really was from a cabbage patch.

My OBC lists everything.

But I applied for a new ABC years ago and could do it online so nothing was ever stated about the original and it being sealed.

The thing is, if the adoptive parents don't want to tell their kid they are adopted then I would imagine they would order a birth certificate for their child and just give it to them - then they wouldn't need to do it.

amyburt40

My amended birth certificate has none of that on it. Fortunately my adoptive mother had that information. I don't have hospital name, only city and state. If you are in contact with the natural parent, see if you can get that information from her. She might even have the OBC for you. The ABC usually has only your and your spouse's names, the name you gave your child, the city and state. Mine doesn't even have the date that it was filed. I already know that information but it's not on my ABC. I am a 65 Indiana model. I hear they still do the same thing now.

Isabel

I was born in one state, adopted in another. My amended BC did not include the time of birth, my birth weight, whether it was a single or twin birth, among other missing information. Also, my amended BC issued by the state looks like a negative, with the writing in white and the background in black.

Every state is different, as are many counties. It's difficult to say that in every situation the county agency would tell someone "your original certificate was sealed". Anyone needing a copy of their BC, say, to get a passport, may request a copy via mail or internet.

jessica300

regarding weight, height, time of birth...I am not adopted, but that info was not on my obc - 196-. I think it is a state by state thing, and may even have a more regional (county) decree as to what is recorded on a bc.

BPD Wife

We live in PA and adopted from NJ. Our son's amended birth certificate does not include any birth information at all. It simply lists the county he was born in - not even the hospital name - and us as the parents (and of course his birthdate). There is no information regarding height, weight, etc. He was born in 2002 and adopted in 2003 just to give you a timeframe.

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