Do an adoptee have rights in Florida to know their heritage?

Question:

Do an adoptee have rights in Florida to know their heritage?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm not sure you're using the term "heritage" the way most of us would.

When parents put their child up for adoption they sever all rights. Before that point, though, the can USUALLY (but not in Michigan and a few other states) negotiate for the right of the child to be able to find them in the future. But that's under today's rules and laws. Before the mid-80s they were GUARANTEED their children could never find them. So if finding your birth parents is what you consider knowing your heritage, then the answer is "it depends". Some states allow birth parents to leave letters with the agencies and if their children want to find them in the future, the information is waiting for them when they're ready. Other states refuse to even enteratain the idea.

The other side of this is that if "know your heritage" means you don't necessarily want the names of your birth parents but you want to know information about them then the answer is yes. You have a right to any information they voluntarily gave to the agency before the adoption. I've seen the letters that adoptive parents have been given through the years and they get pretty descriptive...just short of giving the parents' names. But definitely enough information in there to start your own search and be able to find either the parents themselves or key relatives.