Christie issues conditional veto of New Jersey adoption bill

A conditional veto of a bill that shakes up New Jersey’s adoption laws aims to strike a balance for the need of adoptees and their birth parents.

Gov. Chris Christie has agreed to release brith certificates to adoptees, but has rewritten part of the measure to allow for birth mothers’ privacy when requested.

 

Under the new provision, as NJ.com explains, intermediaries will work to help adoptees find their birth mothers who’ve requested privacy. The disinterested party will work to make the connection, and then submit a request for medical records if the birth mother declines the meeting.

If a birth mother search turns up empty, the state may decide to release that birth certificate, anyway.