What We Are Trying To Achieve Now...
OUR GOAL is to get a law passed in the Connecticut legislative session that starts in February, 2016 so that ALL adult adoptees can obtain their true, original birth certificate. This will build on our 2014 success!
We believe that the government should treat adopted people the same as non-adopted people. And that the government should not hide the truth from adopted people about themselves.
The law in Connecticut allows non-adopted people to have a copy of their true, original birth certificate. But for or many years, the law has not given adoptees the same right.
What We Have Already Accomplished...
In 2014 we poured our hearts and souls into this effort.
Access Connecticut successfully worked for a new law which restored the
right of original birth certificate access to adult adoptees born and adopted in Connecticut after October 1, 1983. The new law covers 24,000 adoptees.
Our hard work paid off!
Here is Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy surrounded by Access Connecticut volunteers as he signed
Public Act 14-133 into law on June 6, 2014:
State Representative David Alexander and
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch,
both adult adoptees and key supporters of access to original birth certificates, celebrating with an official copy of the new law!
Now we need to finish the job so that ALL Connecticut adult adoptees have the right to know the truth about themselves, and obtain their true, original birth certificate.
We are proud of what we’ve done so far. That is why we are asking for your help. Help us connect with, educate and inform more people by simply sharing this link with friends, family and colleagues. When citizens are informed they inform their elected
legislators. And that’s how change happens!
We need your help to do it!
Who We Are...
We are an all-volunteer group of people who care deeply about adoptee rights and truth in government. We are adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents, adoption professionals, and concerned citizens. We banded together in 2013 and formed a
non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation called Access Connecticut Now, Inc.
As a non-profit organization we believe in transparency regarding our finances. Our IRS 501(c)(4) determination letter and our 2013 Form 990-EZ federal tax return
is available for public review on our website. (The organization's fiscal year runs from September 30 to October 1.)
Before the mid-1970s, Connecticut law allowed adoptees to obtain their true, original birth certificate when they became adults. Some of us are old enough to remember that time and to have exercised the right to know the truth about ourselves. All of us
feel strongly that every human being has the right to know the truth of their origins, their ancestry and their updated, current family medical history.
How We Educate About Adoptee Rights...
Here is a group of our volunteers with adoptee rights activist and filmmaker
Jean Sacchonagi Strauss at the February 14, 2014 screening of her groundreaking film
ADOPTED: For The Life Of Me at the
Legislative Office Building in Hartford. (Donate $250 and we'll send you a FREE copy of the DVD!) Events like these helped us educate and inform legislators and the public about
adoptee rights.
We were thrilled at the large turnout when filmmaker and author
Ann Fessler (second from right) spoke at the November 9, 2013 screening of her deeply moving and historically important film,
A Girl Like Her at
Real Art Ways in Hartford:
One Key To Our Past Success: Our Experienced Lobbyist
Anyone who has been involved in grassroots lobbying knows the immense amount of time and effort required to get a law passed. Thousands of volunteer hours are devoted to preparing educational materials, organizing volunteers, conducting events, researching
and drafting proposed legislation, etc. Many more hours are required to meet one-on-one with legislators and governmental officials. We believe education is the key to dispelling the myth and misinformation that surrounds adoption, and to move people's hearts
and minds. Testifying at public hearings is just one of many opportunities to educate legislators, like our Vice President Carol Goodyear is doing here:
But we are all volunteers and most of us have full-time jobs and families. As hard as we work for adoptee rights, we know that effective lobbying requires a constant physical presence at the legislature in order to develop relationships and communicate
with legislators and their staff. Lobbying and public advocacy is not inexpensive and is challenging for volunteers to do it alone. It also requires an experienced skill set to effectively garner lawmakers’ support. Our chances of success were greatly increased
by having the right lobbyist working with us.
So we hired an experienced lobbyist, Matthew Hallisey of
Matthew Hallisey Government Affairs, who has the the skills and knowledge to help us work smart. Mr. Hallisey also has a personal connection with adoption, and he understands our mission, our objectives and our passion. In 2014, he worked closely with
Access Connecticut and helped lead our initiative in the legislature to restore access to original birth certificates for a number of adoptees in Connecticut. We believe that without Mr. Hallisey's assistance, our efforts would not have been successful.
In 2014 we were able to retain Mr. Hallisey's services as a result of grants from the
non-profit American Adoption Congress, and donations from our network of people like you who care about adoptee rights and truth in government.
What We Need To Do Now...
We vowed that we would return in the 2016 legislative session and work to extend the right to ALL Connecticut adoptees. The session starts in February and we are working NOW to prepare.
While it is no guarantee of success, Access Connecticut believes we MUST retain a lobbyist for the 2016 session to be be heard and advance our legislation. Having Mr. Hallisey's skills, expertise and guidance are essential to our campaign.
A large portion of our funds will be devoted to retaining Mr. Hallisey's services again. We will also use the funds to increase our base of support by continuing the public awareness and education actvities that have contributed to our success to date.
Here are some of the many other things we need to do, that were the keys to our success in 2014:
*** Seek the introduction and passage of legislation that will restore access to original birth certificates by all adult adopted persons in Connecticut.
*** Review bills and amendments of any such legislation that may substantially affect this effort.
*** Monitor the status of such legislation.
*** Advocate before state lawmakers, the Governor’s office, state agencies, public officials and staff on behalf of legislation that would restore access to original birth certificates by all adult adopted persons in Connecticut.
*** Make personal contact with and provide educational materials regarding access to the 187 Connecticut state legislators to garner their support.
*** Prepare strategy in relation to legislation that would restore access to original birth certificates by all adult adopted persons in Connecticut.
*** Assist in drafting proposed legislation, amendments to bills, testimony, fact sheets and position statements for submission.
*** Attend and participate in meetings between legislators, public officials, staff, and other organizations for support of legislation that would restore access to original birth certificates by all adult adopted persons in Connecticut.
*** Build and participate in coalitions with other organizations that support our goals (a partial list is available at our website at http://accessconnecticut.org/expert-endorsements/.)
*** Maintain ongoing public education and awareness concerning the status of legislation to increase volunteer participation and advocacy efforts.
*** Conduct periodic community and organizational meetings and report on the status of such legislation.
How You Can Help Adoptees Achieve Equal Rights…
OUR GOAL is to get a law passed in the Connecticut legislative session that starts in January, 2016 so that ALL adult adoptees can obtain their true, original birth certificate.
***PLEASE DONATE NOW. Every dollar makes a difference.
***Share this project through social media or email.
You will find the links in the right column above, or 'GRAB THE WIDGET' to embed on your social media pages.
***Tell your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family
***Like Us on FaceBook and
Follow Us on Twitter
WE SINCERELY THANK-YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DONATING ON LINE?
Send a check payable to:
Access Connecticut Now, Inc.
PO Box 270129
West Hartford, CT 06127
