Georgia: Come and Get 'Em! OBCs Unsealed Today!

Happy Unsealing Day!

As of today, Georgia-born adoptees 18 years of age and over, can obtain their Original Birth Certificates without condition or restrictions.

As I’ve written before, this is especially exciting for me as a former resident of the Peach State–a state where Bastard Nation and I personally worked for years to open. It’s a state that I came to see as one of the last to fall. Instead, it is the 16th state to legally recognize and restore the right of birth records and identity to its adoptees.

It’s been a struggle. When we started over 25 years ago only 2 states viewed adopted people as worthy of equal documentary treatment under law. Today that 4% has grown to 30+%. For the geographically-minded, this means that 60% of the Deep South has fallen to the Bastard Banner. putting the region only behind New England with its 100% compliance. Who would have believed? We have a long way to go, but Georgia marks a proud landmark in the struggle.

We do no crawl away in surrender. we do not do not leave anyone behind. We fight. We win. We celebrate.

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How will this work in Georgia?.

Lead activist organization, The Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights, is working closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health (GSPH) to assist applicants in obtaining their pre-adoption birth certificate. Its guidelines for application and access are here.

The GSPH Obtaining A Copy of Your Original (Pre-Adoption) Birth Certificate website is here. [pdf. ] As of this writing the order form is confusing and the Department says it is “tweaking it now,” so hopefully it will be fixed very soon.

OBCs are only available through the state (not counties). Walk-insat the Georgia Vital Recirds office are accepted but same-day service is not available,

Office of Vital Records

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday, Except State Holidays
State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349