Massachusetts Archives | Bastard Nation

Happy Day in Massachusetts: Black Hole is Gone! OBCs Unsealed for All!

Marley Greiner — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 19:43:40 +0000

Today, HB 2284/S1146 the bill that restores the right of all Massachusetts-born adoptees to obtain their Original Birth Certificates without the restriction goes into effect. Until today Massachusetts adoptees born between July 17, 1974 and January 1, 2008 and their OBCs were tossed in a black hole by a series of archaic laws that kept their records sealed except by court order. Those born before and after those dates enjoyed full and unrestricted access to them. No reasonable explanation was ever given for this nonsense...

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Massachusetts: Delivered, Signed, and Unsealed!

Marley Greiner — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 21:36:28 +0000

Governor Charlie Baker has signed H2294/S1140 making Massachusetts the 13th state (and third this year) to acknowledge and codify the right of all of its state-born adopted people at age 18 to obtain without conditions or restrictions their original birth certificates upon request. Current law bars those born between July 17, 1974, and January 1, 2008, to obtain the document without a court order. The new law goes into effect November 3, 2022

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August 1, 2022: Louisiana OBCs Officially Unsealed!

Marley Greiner — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 21:45:21 +0000

Congratulations Louisiana-born adoptees! Today your right to your original birth certificate is officially restored after 45 years of sealing. Have at it! Let us know when you get it,l send stories, comments, Here is how to obtain your Louisiana Original Birth Certificate.

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Massachusetts Passes! Joins the New England Pack

Marley Greiner — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 20:50:36 +0000

This afternoon the Massachusetts Senate by a vote of 40-0 passed he measure passed the House last year and has been held up in the Senate Rules committee since then. Earlier today it was released from the committee and sent to the Senate floor for an immediate vote. There is no reason to think that Governor Charlie Baker will not sign on. In effect, the days of segregated Original Birth Certificate access are about to end in Massachusets.

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Massachusetts House passes H2294. Now it’s the Senate’s turn!

Marley Greiner — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 05:04:56 +0000

Today the Massachusetts House passed H2294, (Senate version is S1440), a bill to restore the right of all Massachusetts-born adoptees to their original birth certificates. Current Massachusetts law allows adoptees in the state to obtain their original birth certificates without conditions or restrictions at age 18 if they were adopted on or before July 17, 1974, or on or after January 1, 2008., This bill unseals records for those adopted between July 18, 1974, and December 31, 2008.

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Bastard Nation Action Alert: Massachusetts H2294/S1440 – Contact Joint Committee on Public Health, Vote Do Pass

Marley Greiner — Thu, 06 May 2021 05:17:52 +0000

We urge you to:

(1) Submit or present live testimony, email letters of support or call members of the committee and urge them to vote Do Pass and move the measure to a floor vote.

(2) Ask friends and family in Massachusetts to contact the committee. The more legislators hear from constituents, the greater the chance of success.

Below is the Action Alert distributed by Access Massachusetts with details on the bill and testimony information.

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Bastard Nation Action Alert: Massachusetts H1892/S1267. Contact MA Senate Today! Vote Do Pass

Marley Greiner — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 16:32:22 +0000

The bill needs to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

We urge you to:

1) Write, e-mail or call members of the Senate and urge them to bring the bill to the floor and to vote DO PASS!

2) Ask friends and family in Massachusetts to contact the Senate. The more legislators hear from constituents, the greater the chance of success!

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Massachusetts: House passes OBC Access for All. On to Senate!

Marley Greiner — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 18:44:54 +0000

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when all legislation this year seemed lost--the Massachusetts House this morning passed H1892 to restore OBC access to all Massachusetts adoptees. (No vote stats known yet). It now moves to the Senate.

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Massachusetts: Bastard Nation letter requesting movement on clean bill HB1892/SB1287

Marley Greiner — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 01:25:51 +0000

A few weeks ago Access Massachusetts asked help in moving clean bills HB1892/SB1267 out of committee and on for a vote. The bills were recently voted favorable out of the Joint Committee on Public Health and are now in the House Seering, Policy, Scheduling Committee of the House. Access Massachusetts is not affiliated with Bastard Nation but we wholeheartedly support this bill that will level the playing field and restore the right of all Massachusetts adoptees to their OBC. Below is the letter we sent tonight in support of the bill and movement forward.

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Action Alert: Massachusetts H1892/S1267 Fill the gap. All MA adoptees deserve their OBCs

Marley Greiner — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 01:34:30 +0000

H1892 and S1267 are currently in the Joint Committee on Public Health. These companion bills are clean and probably the shortest OBC access bill in history. When enacted the gap between the haves and have nots, the worthies and the unworthies, will be closed, and the right of all Massachusetts adoptees, without restriction, to their own OBCs will be restored.

Bastard Nation has supported these bills and similar bills for years. Unfortunately, they are a low priority and are left to die at the end of each 2-year session. This discrimination has got to stop.

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