(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) released the following statement Monday after meeting with the New Jersey Coalition for Adoption Reform and Education, adoptees and other advocates to celebrate the implementation of a law he sponsored to allow New Jersey adoptees to obtain their original birth records and medical history.
The law was signed in May 2014 and took effect on Jan. 1:
“It was a great honor today to meet with those who will benefit from this new law, which acknowledges that we all have a basic human right to know our heritage and understand important knowledge such as a family medical history.
“In essence, it gives adoptees a chance to know their complete selves, something most of us take for granted.
“It’s also important to note that this law was fair, allowing parents who want to remain anonymous to do so. It took a long time to turn this idea into a law, but the end result was good public policy that benefits everyone in a fair way.
“I was thrilled today to be able to look adoptees in the eye and know that we finally accomplished this goal. They deserved this peace of mind and basic human decency.”