How birth certificates and DNA testing help adoptees on a bio family search
Two paths—the DNA-first route and the records-first route—are the main paths adoptees use today to begin a search for biological relatives.
Adopted and interested in starting a search?
1. Try obtaining your original birth certificate and birth and adoption records first
An original birth certificate contains important names, locations, and dates. This information can point you in the direction to search. Not sure if you can access your OBC or how to do it? Start first with learning about your legal rights to your original birth certificate*, based on the state where you were born and adopted (not your current residence). Many states have updated their laws in recent years. If you were turned away from obtaining an OBC in the past, you may now have a legal rights to it and to other documentation, such as more complete birth and adoption records.
*UPDATE on recent state legislation changes!
A lot has been happening in legislation around adoption and records-access. More states are passing legislation that grant adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates. This document contains an account of the birth parents, date and location of birth, and is a type of legal document called a vital record. Following in the footsteps of Iowa, New York, Indiana, two additional states have recently made original birth certificate access available to adoptees: Massachusetts and Louisiana. The Adoptee Rights Law website remains a go-to source for information about legislative rights for adoptees. That site also forwards visitors to https://adopteesunited.org/legislation/ for state-by-state information. Find more information in the DNA Guide for Adoptees.
2. Consider an at-home DNA test for biological family matching
Consumer DNA testing with a DNA matching feature is an option, and an increasingly common alternative when full access to your birth and adoption records is blocked. Learn about DNA testing and biological family searches before you buy a test so your expectations are clear. DNA can help, but it hinges on whether and which biological relatives have already tested.
There are limitations to DNA testing, but like many other adoptees, it might be the path that works best for you. Search angels and professional searchers can help guide you along the way. The DNA Guide for Adoptees covers all of these topics, and more.
3. Explore DNA tests that give you medical/health information
You do not have to wait for family medical history or communicating with biological family to find out what health risks you carry. Start benefitting from the information you gather from genetic testing now. Consider speaking with a genetic counselor about DNA testing and screening options.
There are differences between a genotyping test and a full sequencing test a doctor or genetic counselor might order. There is some overlap between these types of DNA tests, but the tests are distinct and have individual strengths and weaknesses. More genetic counselors are able and willing to work with adoptees for their varied needs. Check out Malibu Genetics, for example.
4. Pay attention to your mental health throughout the journey
Find a therapist, counselor, coach, and/or support group who can help you prepare for the ups and downs of a search. There will be situations you can control (like when you decide to search) and ones outside of your control (such as the reaction of biological relatives you locate and reach out to). PsychologyToday.com hosts a registry of mental health professionals, many of whom who list adoption as a specialization. You can also find resources online, such as those identified by Simon Benn of Thriving Adoptees, and those listed in the DNA Guide for Adoptees.
Some adoptees getting started on a search ask, “Which is more important: DNA testing or an original birth certificate?”
The answer to this question is neither black nor white; you might need both. Here are a few reasons DNA testing and original birth certificates are valuable:
DNA testing is not beneficial in every situation. Not every biological family has representative family members in the major genetic testing databases, and not every family is large enough to make DNA testing a reliable way to triangulate your place in the family tree even if multiple people in the family have tested.
Not every birth certificate has complete information about both biological parents, or it lists one parent and not the other.
Some records contain inaccurate information; most commonly, the wrong person has been named as the biological father.
Some adoptees, such as foundlings, do not have an OBC, or the document is incomplete.
Overwhelmed and not sure where to start?
DNA Guide for Adoptees is one place to start. The book covers preparation for a search, how DNA testing fits in, places to turn for support and information throughout a search, and a summary of genetic testing for health and ancestry reasons that everyone (both adopted and non-adopted people) can consider.
