Illinois Adoption Act - 750 ILCS 50, Section 18.1b

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The Illinois Adoption Registry Application. The Illinois Adoption Registry Application shall substantially include the following:

(a) General Information. The Illinois Adoption Registry Application shall include the space to provide Information about the registrant including his or her surname, given name or names, social security number (optional), mailing address, home telephone number, gender, date and place of birth, and the date of registration. If applicable and known to the registrant, he or she may include the maiden surname of the birth mother, any subsequent surnames of the birth mother, the surname of the birth father, the given name or names of the birth parents, the dates and places of birth of the birth parents, the surname and given name or names of the adopted person prior to adoption, the gender and date and place of birth of the adopted or surrendered person, the name of the adopted person following his or her adoption and the state and county where the judgment of adoption was finalized.

(b) Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire. In recognition of the importance of medical information and of recent discoveries regarding the genetic origin of many medical conditions and diseases all registrants shall be asked to voluntarily complete a Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire.

(1) For birth relatives, the Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire shall include a comprehensive check-list of medical conditions and diseases including those of genetic origin. Birth relatives shall be asked to indicate all genetically-inherited diseases and conditions on this list which are known to exist in the adopted or surrendered person's birth family at the time of registration. In addition, all birth relatives shall be apprised of the Registry's provisions for voluntarily submitting information about their and their family's medical histories on a confidential, ongoing basis. (2) Adopted and surrendered persons and their adoptive parents, legal guardians, adult children, and surviving spouses shall be asked to indicate all genetically-inherited diseases and medical conditions with which the adopted or surrendered person or, if applicable, his or her children have been diagnosed since birth. (3) The Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire shall include a space where the registrant may authorize the release of the Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire to specified registered parties and a disclaimer informing registrants that the Department of Public Health cannot guarantee the accuracy of medical information exchanged through the Registry. (c) Written statement. All registrants shall be given the opportunity to voluntarily file a written statement with the Registry. This statement shall be submitted in the space provided. No written statement submitted to the Registry shall include identifying information pertaining to any person other than the registrant who submitted it. Any such identifying information shall be redacted by the Department or returned for removal of identifying information.

(d) Contact information. All registrants may indicate their wishes regarding contact with any other registrant by completing an Information Exchange Authorization or a Denial of Information Exchange.

(1) Information Exchange Authorization. Adopted or surrendered persons 21 years of age or over who would welcome contact with one or more of their birth relatives; birth parents who would welcome contact with an adopted or surrendered person 21 years of age or over, or one or more of his or her adoptive parents, legal guardians, adult children, or a surviving spouse; birth siblings 21 years of age or over who were adopted or surrendered and who would welcome contact with an adopted or surrendered person, or one or more of his or her adoptive parents, legal guardians, adult children, or a surviving spouse; birth siblings 21 years of age or over who were not surrendered and who have submitted proof of death for any common birth parent who did not file a Denial of Information Exchange prior to his or her death, and who would welcome contact with an adopted or surrendered person, or one or more of his or her adoptive parents, legal guardians, adult children, or a surviving spouse; birth aunts and birth uncles 21 years of age or over who have submitted birth certificates for themselves and a deceased birth parent naming at least one common biological parent as well as proof of death for a deceased birth parent who did not file a Denial of Information Exchange prior to his or her death and who would welcome contact with an adopted or surrendered person 21 years of age or over, or one or more of his or her adoptive parents, legal guardians, adult children or a surviving spouse; adoptive parents or legal guardians of adopted or surrendered persons under the age of 21 who would welcome contact with one or more of the adopted or surrendered person's birth relatives; adoptive parents and legal guardians of deceased adopted or surrendered persons 21 years of age or over who have submitted proof of death for a deceased adopted or surrendered person who did not file a Denial of Information Exchange prior to his or her death and who would welcome contact with one or more of the adopted or surrendered person's birth relatives; adult children of deceased adopted or surrendered persons who have submitted a birth certificate naming the adopted or surrendered person as their biological parent and proof of death for an adopted or surrendered person who did not file a Denial of Information Exchange prior to his or her death; and surviving spouses of deceased adopted or surrendered persons who have submitted a marriage certificate naming an adopted or surrendered person as their deceased wife or husband and proof of death for an adopted or surrendered person who did not file a Denial of Information Exchange prior to his or her death and who would welcome contact with one or more of the adopted or surrendered person's birth relatives may specify with whom they wish to exchange identifying information by filing an Information Exchange Authorization. (2) Denial of Information Exchange. Adopted or surrendered persons 21 years of age or over who do not wish to establish contact with one or more of their birth relatives may specify with whom they do not wish to exchange identifying information by filing a Denial of Information Exchange. Birth relatives who do not wish to establish contact with an adopted or surrendered person or one or more of his or her adoptive parents, legal guardians, or adult children may specify with whom they do not wish to exchange identifying information by filing a Denial of Information Exchange. Adoptive parents or legal guardians of adopted or surrendered persons under the age of 21 who do not wish to establish contact with one or more of the adopted or surrendered person's birth relatives may specify with whom they do not wish to exchange identifying information by filing a Denial of Information Exchange. Adoptive parents, adult children, and surviving spouses of deceased adoptees who do not wish to establish contact with one or more of the adopted or surrendered person's birth relatives may specify with whom they do not wish to exchange identifying information by filing a Denial of Information Exchange. The Illinois Adoption Registry Application does not need to be completed in order to file a Denial of Information Exchange. (e) A registrant may complete all or any part of the Illinois Adoption Registry Application. All Illinois Adoption Registry Applications, Information Exchange Authorizations, Denials of Information Exchange, requests to revoke an Information Exchange Authorization or Denial of Information Exchange, and affidavits submitted to the Registry shall be accompanied by proof of identification.

(f) The Department shall establish the Illinois Adoption Registry Application form including the Medical Information Exchange Questionnaire by rule.

(Source: P.A. 94-173, eff. 1-1-06.)

Last modified: April 6, 2006