I’d like to know who my parents are | Anne Rudig

Like countless other adoptees in the US, outdated laws mean I still don't know my parent's names, ethnicities and medical histories

At the age of 69, I am not allowed to see my original birth certificate or know the basic facts of my origin.

In some private and all closed adoptions the original birth certificate is sealed by the state of California. The only way to see it is to hire a lawyer and petition the court with a very good reason" to unseal. When I asked a clerk in Marin County, California, he couldn't give an example of what a good reason might be, but he did say that wanting to know my origins wasn't one of them.

Anne Rudig has contributed to the New York Times and other publications. She is at work on a memoir