Province considers opening up P.E.I. adoption records

The P.E.I. government will be consulting with Islanders about whether to open up adoption records.

"We were hearing from many people all overP.E.I.about the issue and how personal it is to them and how sensitive this issue is to them, so we listened and we took action,"said P.E.I. Family and Human Services Minister TinaMundy.

Thepublic consultation is expected to start in early January and ispart of a review of the P.E.I.'sadoption program now underway.

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Though details haven't been determined, consultationcould include online surveys, written letters, private meetings, andgroup meetings, Mundy said.

'It's their right'

Advocates, such as Theresa Aylward,have been fighting for more open recordson P.E.I. for the past 15 years, working with families touched by adoption.

The P.E.I. mother, who relinquished a child more than three decades ago, has been lobbying the P.E.I. governmentto giveadoptees and birth parents unfettered access tobirth records.

"It's their right,"Aylwardsaid. "These are adults, they're not children. These are mothers that never asked to be kept in the dark. For a lot of them, they've lived through shame and guilt. They need closure."

Balance of rights andprivacy

The province said the Adoption Actprotects and balances the rights and privacy of allparties to an adoption, includingthe birthparents, the children and the adoptiveparents.

Mundy said a reassessment began after the province heard from advocates wanting access tosealed birth records.

"We have been reaching out to provinces all across Canada to look at what's working for them, what doesn't work for them, what we might be able to glean," Mundy said.

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec andP.EI. remain the onlyprovinces to haveclosedadoption records.

Birth records in New Brunswick will be unsealedbeginning in April, 2018.

Under P.E.I.'s Adoption Act, adoption records can only be disclosed ifboth parties agree.

'Right of all individuals'

The provincialgovernment offers post-adoption services for adoptees over the age of 18 and birth parents who want to lookinto obtainingnon-identifying information. It may include the physical descriptions of the birth parents, their age and education level,interests, medical histories and circumstances at the time of theadoption.

Search registers run by the provincial government also assist adult adoptees and birth families with a search process and/or a potential reunion.

Valerie Andrews, executive director of Origins Canada, a non-profit federal organization supporting mothers and adopted children, said she looks forward to more transparency for those involved with adoption.

"Opening records doesn't mean a relationship," Andrews said. "Opening records simply means that you obtain the name of your mother or your son or daughter and it's always up to individuals as to whether they wish to have contact with any other person. That remains the right of all individuals."

Mundy said allinformation submitted through the publicconsultation will be kept confidential.

"This is a very sensitive and very personal matter to so many, so we have to ensure that we take our time with this and we make sure that all voices are heard on both sides of the issue," she said.

"We will probably take from January to April to make sure all voices around the table are heard. We will come back in maybe late May with some recommendations in hopes that if legislative changes are needed we can work on them over the summer and be ready for the fall session."

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