Tim Monti-Wohlpart always knew he was adopted, but what he didn't know is how hard it would be to find his birth parents.Because he was adopted in New York, he had no legal right to see his original birth certificate."We don't just have a policy about having sealed records; we have a culture of secrecy," Monti-Wohlpart said.
After a health scare, Monti-Wohlpart was determined to track down his biological mother, in order to fully understand his medical history. It took two years, a lawyers, investigators, and money.
"When I found my birth mother, it afforded me the opportunity to find out more complete information about myself, heal in many ways, and celebrate my fuller identity," he said.
From there, Monti-Wohlpart took his case to the state legislature, on behalf of all adoptees.
"The first New York bill of adoptee rights was introduced during the Cuomo Administration — the Mario Cuomo Administration, I believe 1994," Monti-Wohlpart said. "I lobbied for the first 'clean' New York bill of adoptee rights, meaning unrestricted access to original birth certificates for adult adoptees in 2002 and 2003."
More than 15 years later, Monti-Wohlpart is still fighting.
Source: The fight in New York for adoptees to access their birth records
READ: https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/01/17/run-dmc-darryl-mcdaniels-dmc-seeks-his-birth-records-with-a-new-new-york-law?cid=share_clip
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